LIBRARY 

or  THE 

University  of  California. 

Class 


Psycho -Therapy 
in  the  Practice  of  Medicine 
and  Surgery,  by  Sheldon 
Leavitt.  m.  d. 


The  laws  of  thought  are  the  laws  of  the  universe. — Buchnef. 

He  who  will  not  reason  is  a  bigot;  he  who  cannot,  is  a  fool; 
he  who  dares  not,  is  a  slave. — Byron. 

"I  have  always  thought  (and  not  without  reason)  that  to  have 
published  for  the  benefit  of  afflicted  mortals  any  certain 
method  of  subduing  even  the  slightest  disease  was  a  matter 
of  greater  felicity  than  the  riches  of  a  Tantalus  or  a  Croesus. 
I  have  called  it  a  matter  of  'greater  felicity';  I  now  call  it  a 
matter  of  greater  goodness  and  of  greater  wisdom." 

— Sydenham. 

I  will  listen  to  any  one's  convictions,  but  pray  keep  your 
doubts  to  yourself.    I  have  plenty  of  my  own. — Goethe. 


SECOND  EDITION 


Magnum  Bonum  Company 
Chicago,  1907 


'RZ'fo/ 
t-4 


■•* 


% 


Copyright,  1903. 

By  Sheldon  Leavitt,  M.  D, 

y4ll  rights  reservid. 


TO   THOSE    OF 

THE    MEDICAL   PROFESSION  WHO    LOVE   TRUTH 

AND 

DO    NOT    FEAR   TO    STAND    FOR   IT 

THIS    WORK   IS 

DEDICATED 

BY   THE    AUTHOR 


15574B 


*I  touched  the  earmeDt-hem  of  truth. 
Yet  saw  not  all  its  splendor." 


Preface. 


When  a  student  launches  on  the  Sea  of  Mind 
he  soon  finds  himself  in  deep  water.  His  sound- 
ing hne  will  not  reach  bottom.  The  trouble  is 
that  the  depths  are  infinite.  There  are  "the 
heavens  above  and  the  earth  beneath  and  the 
waters  under  the  earth, "  as  the  Universe  is  aptly 
described  by  the  sacred  writer. 

In  truth  he  does  not  launch  at  all,  for  he  him- 
self, in  essence,  is  a  part  of  the  sea.  It  is  a  sea 
of  vibrations  in  which  he  is  immersed  and  of 
which  his  thinking  self  is  an  integral  part. 

I  have  hesitated  to  venture  a  public  opinion 
concerning  even  those  phases  of  psychology  that 
most  interest  me  as  a  physician  and  surgeon. 
My  main  object  now  is  not  edification  and  final- 
ity, but  stimulation  to  inquiry,  realizing  that  con- 
victions of  value  are  not  gained  from  mere  read- 
ing, but  from  soaking  one's  mind  in  a  subject, 
"by  continually  thinking  unto  it,"  as  Newton 
said. 

I  have  been  compelled  to  speak  of  the  "con- 
scious" and  the  "unconscious"  or  "subcon- 
scious, "the  "objective"  and  the  "subjective," 
the  "supraHminal "  and  the  "subliminal."  The 
exact  significance  of  these  terms  I  do  not  pretend 
to  understand :  the  designated  powers  I  do  not 
undertake  to  define.  The  dual  mind  is  hypo- 
thetical. It  is  probably  only  two  phases  of  a 
much  "greater  self,"  as  Myers  has  suggested.  I 
beg  not  to  be  held  to  strict  account. 

(5) 


6  PREFACE. 

This  needs  to  be  said:  The  "subliminal"  con- 
tains no  reference  to  what  is  beneath,  except  in  the 
sense  of  foundation.  In  every  other  respect  the 
subliminal,  the  subjective,  the  unconscious,  is  the 
more  real,  the  more  noble,  the  more  comprehen- 
sive and  the  more  intelligent  self.  The  '  'supra- 
liminal,"  the  "conscious,"  the  "objective"  is  a 
healthy,  a  natural  manifestation. 

I  am  satisfied  that  there  are  vast  possibilities 
for  Suggestive  Therapeutics.  I  have  not  hesi- 
tated to  express  an  opinion  concerning  details 
whenever  I  have  found  myself  in  full  possession 
of  one.  Some  of  these  opinions  will  doubtless 
be  modified  by  future  developments;  but  such 
of  them  as  rest  upon  well-recognized  laws  of 
psychic  action  will  be  stable.  I  have  been  led 
along  step  by  step,  my  powers  of  perception 
gradually  developing,  my  experience  widening, 
the  possibilities  opening  before  me,  until  I  find 
myself  measurably  ripe  in  both  experience  and 
conviction. 

The  certainty  of  being  misunderstood  con- 
fronts me.  I  shall  doubtless  be  dubbed  a 
"Christian  Scientist,"  a  "charlatan,"  an  "igno- 
ramus," a  "trimmer."  That  matters  little. 
Those  who  know  me  well,  while  they  may  not 
wholly  agree  with  me,  will  at  least  concede  me 
sincerity.  I  have  herein  spoken  only  the  thoughts 
that  long  have  pressed  for  ^Uterance.  He  only  is 
the  growing  man  who  gives  himself  repeated  op- 
portunity to  change  and  then  to  declare  in  no 
uncertain  language  his  most  sacred  convictions. 
The  worst  that  can  in  justice  be  said  is  that  I 
am  a  nonconformist;  and  this  title  I  shall  not 
resent.  Says  Max  Mullen 
"Scholars  welcome  everybody  who  in  the  open  tourna- 


PREFACE. 


ment  of  science  will  take  his  chance,  dealing  blows  and 
receiving  or  parrying  blows;  but  the  man  who  himself 
does  not  fight,  but  simply  stands  by  to  jeer  and  sneer 
when  two  good  knights  have  been  unseated  in  breaking 
a  lance  in  the  cause  of  truth,  does  nothing  but  mischief, 
and  might,  indeed,  find  better  and  worthier  employ- 
ment." 

The  well-known  English  scientist,  Sir  Oliver 
Lodge,  says: 

"Remember  that  the  term  'science'  was  not  always 
respectable.  To  early  ears  it  sounded  almost  as  the 
term  witchcraft  or  magic  sounded  ;  it  was  a  thing  from 
which  to  warn  young  people ;  it  led  to  atheism  and  to 
many  other  abominations.  It  was  an  unholy  prying 
into  the  secrets  of  Nature  which  were  meant  to  be  hid 
from  our  eyes;  it  was  a  thing  against  which  the  Church 
resolutely  set  its  face,  a  thing  for  which  it  was  ready,  if 
need  were,  to  torture  or  to  burn  those  unlucky  men  of 
scientific  genius  who  were  born  before  their  time.  .  .  . 
Pioneers  must  expect  hard  knocks ;  the  mind  of  a 
people  can  change  only  slowly;  and  until  the  mind  of  a 
people  is  changed,  new  truths  born  before  their  time 
must  suffer  the  fate  of  other  untimely  births  ;  and  the 
prophet  who  preaches  them  must  expect  to  be  mistaken 
for  a  useless  fanatic,  of  whom  every  age  has  always  had 
too  many,  and  must  be  content  to  be  literally  or  meta- 
phorically put  to  death,  as  part  of  the  protest  of  the 
regeneration  of  the  world." 

I  trust  that  there  is  no  arrogance  in  my  saying 
that  the  conclusions  herein  expressed  are  attrib- 
utable neither  to  inexperience  with  disease  in  its 
various  phases  nor  to  lack  of  knowledge  of  what 
orthodox  medicine,  as  practiced  by  either,  or 
both,  of  the  prominent  schools,  is  capable  of 
doing.  Had  my  opportunities  for  observation 
been  more  restricted  I  should  have  hesitated  to 
express  pronounced  views.  The  new  methods 
of  treatment  have  been  utilized  by  me  in  a  dis- 
criminating and  tentative  manner  for  years  and 
the  observations  have  been  carefully  noted. 


8  PREFACE. 

//  should  not  be  inferred  fro7n  anything  herein 
contai7ied  that  I  have  lost  faith  i7i  drug  remedies. 
I  have  merely  chafiged  7ny  theories  concerning  their 
limitatiojis  and  mode  of  action. 

I  am  most  emphatically  of  the  opinion  that 
the  practice  of  suggestive  therapeutics  should  be 
confined  to  the  medical  profession.  A.  H.  Burr, 
in  an  article  which  appeared  in  November,  1898, 
points  out  very  clearly  many  reasons  "Why 
Suggestive  Therapeutics  Should  Not  Be  Taught 
to  the  Laity. "  The  physician  can  discern  the 
same  unwisdom  of  encouraging  lay  people  to 
practice  with  psychological  remedies  that  applies 
to  their  use  of  drugs.  Then  let  the  profession 
come  into  its  rightful  heritage. 

After  emphasizing  the  importance  of  such  a 
course  in  his  "Spiritual  Life,"  Prof.  George  A. 
Coe  proceeds  as  follows: 

"What,  then,  is  left  to  the  discretion  of  those  un- 
trained in  medical  science?  For  it  is  plain  that  we  can- 
not avoid  employing  suggestion  to  our  weal  or  to  our 
woe  every  day  that  we  live.  A  few  applications  of  its 
principles  are  perfectly  feasible.  For  example,  we  can 
deliberately  cultivate  cheerful  states  of  feeling,  and  we 
can  assist  others  to  be  happy.  If  all  the  world  should 
adopt  such  a  course  of  living,  the  occupation  of  the 
doctors  would  be  cut  in  two  inside  of  ten  years.  Again, 
just  as  any  intelligent  layman  is  competent  to  make  a 
proper  use  of  some  of  the  commoner  drugs,  as,  for  in- 
stance, in  the  case  of  minor  cuts,  burns  and  bruises, 
so,  it  may  be  contended,  specific  suggestion  for  specific 
ailments  may  be  allowed  when  the  nature  of  the  ail- 
ment is  understood.  To  take  the  simplest  case,  what 
possible  objection  could  there  be  to  one's  overcoming 
an  attack  of  sleeplessness  by  suggestion?  Again,  if  one 
has  certain  knowledge  that  a  given  headache  has  been 
induced  by  temporary  and  trivial  causes,  no  harm  could 
easily  result  from  treating  it  after  the  manner  of 
Liebeault.     In  general,  too,  the  pains  we  have  to  bear, 


PREFACE.  y 

even  under  the  care  of  the  highest  medical  skill,  can 
often  be  lessened  by  a  proper  direction  of  the  attention. 
Here  belong  the  chronic  difficulties  that  have  been 
already  diagnosed  and  treated  by  the  family  physician. 
In  short,  just  as  wise  dieting,  proper  clothing  and 
much  more  has  to  be  attended  to  by  ourselves,  so  there  is 
a  general  and  very  necessary  household  use  of  sugges- 
tion as  an  adjunct  of  ordinary  medical  practice." 

I  have  taken  occasion  during  the  past  years  to 
sound  professional  opinion  concerning  the  true 
value  of  suggestive  means  of  cure,  and  have 
found,  almost  without  exception,  that  the  indi- 
vidual physician  stands  ready  to  make  his  con- 
fession of  faith  in  a  confidential  way,  but  shrinks 
from  utilizing  psychic  measures  in  an  open  man- 
ner "for  fear  of  the  people."  The  doctor  him- 
self needs  a  prescription,  the  chief  constituent  of 

which  is  BACKBONE. 

A  man  cannot  achieve  trtie  success  without  an 
ideal  that  enlists  his  full  sympathy  and  commands 
his  highest  efforts.  He  must  feel  that  he  has  a 
divine  right  to  succeed. 

My  appeal  is  to  the  medical  profession.  I 
have  done  little  writing  along  these  lines  for  the 
general  eye.  The  stronghold  of  prejudice  is  in 
our  own  midst.  That  there  has  been  good 
ground  for  prejudice  cannot  be  denied;  but  that 
there  is  now  good  ground  for  restricted  and  pro- 
visional acceptance  of   psychic  tenets,  is  equally 

true. 

For  the  elementary  character  of  the  work  no 
excuse  need  be  offered.  I  have  written  for  those 
who  do  not  know — for  those  who  need  instruction, 
and  not  for  those  who  know  it  all. 

I  have  taken  particular  pains  to  make  the 
index  so   explicit   that   any  feature   of  psycho- 


10  PREFACE. 


therapeutics  mentioned  in  the  book  can  be  easily 
found. 

It  is  hoped  that  no  one  will  pronounce  judg- 
ment upon  the  work  from  mere  'fragmentary 
reading.  For  the  opinions  of  those  who  read  it 
from  beginning  to  end  I  shall  have  due  regard. 
Sheldon  Leavitt,  M.  D. 

Chicago,  October  T,  1903. 


List  of  Illustrations. 

PAOB 

1  A  Schematic  Representation  of  the  Dual  Mind 66 

3  Pyramidal  Nerve  Cells  Found  Chiefly  in  the  Brain 70 

3  Cells  from  Spinal  Cord 71 

4  The  Primary  ' '  Cerebral  Vesicles  " 74 

5  A  Diagrammatic  Representation  of  Suggestive  Action 83 

6  A  Diagrammatic  Representation  of  the  Vehicles  of  Suggestion  97 

7  Telepathic  Lines  of  Communication 108 

8  The  Three  Planes  of  Life 134 

9  The  Planes  of  Life  with  Lines  of  Communication 135 

10  A  Diagrammatic  Representation  of  the  Curative  Effects  of 

Suggestion 143 

11  A  Diagrammatic  Representation  of  the  Curative  Effects  of 

Suggestion  when  Sustained  by  Consistent  Conduct 146 

12  A  Diagrammatic  Representation  of  the  Relative  Effects  of 

Medicinal  and  Suggestive  Treatment    168 

13  Good  Position  for  Deep  Sleep Halftone 

14  Slate,  with  a  Sample  Suggestion 209 

15  Digital  Treatment  of  Spinal  Nerves Halftone 

16  Showing  Patient  on  Inverted  Plane Halftone 


(11) 


'  Every  man  s  progress  is  through  a  succession  of  teachers, 
each  of  whom  seems  at  the  time  to  have  a  superlative  influ- 
ence,  but  it  at  last  gives  place  to  a  new.  Frankly  let  him 
accept  it  all.  Jesus  says, '  Leave  father,  mother,  house  and 
land  and  follow  me.'  Who  leaves  all,  receives  more.  This 
is  as  true  intellectually  as  morally.  Kach  new  mind  wo 
approach  seems  to  require  an  abdication  of  all  our  past  and 
present  possessions.  A  new  doctrine  seems  at  first  a  sub- 
version of  all  our  opinions,  tastes  and  manner  of  living. 
Such  has  Swedenborg,  such  has  Kant,  such  has  Coleridge, 
such  has  Hegel  or  his  interpreter.  Cousin,  seemed  to  many 
young  men  in  this  country.  Take  thankfully  and  heartily 
all  they  can  give.  Exhaust  them,  wrestle  with  them,  let 
them  not  go  until  their  blessing  be  won  and  after  a  short 
season  the  dismay  will  be  overpast,  the  excess  of  influence 
withdrawn  and  they  will  be  no  longer  an  alarming  meteor, 
but  one  more  bright  star  shining  serene  in  your  heaven  and 
blending  its  light  with  all  your  day,"— JEmeraon. 


(12) 


Table  of  Contents. 

PART  I. 

THE  PRINCIPLES  OF  PSYCHO-THERAPY. 
CHAPTER  I. 

THE  PRESENT  STATUS  OF  MEDICINE. 

Drug  Medication  Does  Not  Command  Professional  Confidence — 
Drugs  Have  Curative  Virtues — Valuable  Methods  Sometimes  Re- 
jected— True  Science — Matter  and  Mind — The  Origin  of  Disease  in 
Mind — Inquiry  Should  Extend  into  the  Psychic  Realm — Advanced 
Thought  Wins  Its  Way  Slowly — Why  Are  These  Things  So  ?     Page  21 

CHAPTER  n. 

THE  PRESENT  STATUS  OF  MEDICINE  (CONTINUED). 

The  Demands  of  the  Hour — Certain  Advances — Prevention  of 
Disease  —  Chronic  Ailments  More  Prevalent  Than  Ever  —  Disease 
Producers — Advanced  Diagnosis,  but  Not  Advanced  Cure.      Page  33 

CHAPTER  HI. 

THE   PRESENT    STATUS  OF  MEDICINE  (CONTINUED). 

The  Surgical  Idea — Not  All  Who  Cut  Are  Surgeons — Psychic 
Effect  Determines  Cure — Cause  of  Differing  Results — Too  Much  Sur- 
gery— Too  Little  Discrimination.  Page  41 

CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  PRESENT   STATUS  OF  MEDICINE  (CONTINUED). 

Ordinary  Methods  Too  Perfunctory — Physicians  Are  Under- 
paid— Service  Wrought  by  Homeopathy — Psychic  Effect  of  Homeo- 
pathic Treatment — Revulsion  from  Old  Theories  Concerning  Matter 
—Unity  of  All  Things.  Page  49 

(13) 


14  TABLE    OF    CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  V. 

NEW  METHODS. 

Upward  and  Onward  Trend — Movement  Too  Slow — Abundant 
Incentives  to  Study  and  Adopt  New  Methods — Principles  of  the  New 
Methods.  Page  57 

CHAPTER  VI. 

NEW  METHODS  IN  DETAIL. 

Duality  of  Mind — Relations  of  Cerebral  Structures  to  the  Phases 
of  Mind — Anatomy  and  Physiology  of  the  Nervous  Structures — Vari- 
ous Designations  of  Central  Intelligence — Means  of  Communication 
Between  the  Several  Parts — Cardinal  Features  of  the  Brain — Cardi- 
nal Features  of  the  Nervous  System — Objective  Control  of  Subjective 
Action.  Page  65 

CHAPTER  VII. 

NEW  METHODS  IN    DETAIL  (CONTINUED). 

Suggestibility — The  Hypnotic  State — Hypnosis  Not  Essential  to 
Effective  Suggestion.  Page  83 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

NEW  METHODS  IN  DETAIL  (CONTINUED). 

The  Theory  of  Auto-Suggestion.  Page  91 

CHAPTER   IX. 

NEW  METHODS  IN  DETAIL  (CONTINUED). 

The  Vehicles  of  Suggestion — The  Voice — The  Touch — The 
Need  of  Sincerity.  Page  95 

CHAPTER  X. 

NEW  METHODS  IN  DETAIL  (CONTINUED). 

Telepathy.  Page  103 

CHAPTER  XI. 

NEW  METHODS  IN  DETAIL  (CONTINUED). 

The  Conditions  of  Effective  Suggestion — Faith — Faith  Is 
Best  That  Has  a  Rational  Basis — Energy  of  the  Suggestion — Dura- 
tion of  the  Suggestion — Histionic  Suggestion.  Page  113 


TABLE    OF    CONTENTS.  15 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THB  QUESTION  OF  ADOPTION  OF  PSYCHO-THERAPEUTICS  BY  THE 
PROFESSION. 

It  Belongs  to  the  Profession— The  Success  of  Charlatanry — Con- 
servatism— Too  Much  Fractional  Teaching  and  Practice — The  Ra- 
tional Attitude  —  Certain  Concession  —  Psycho-Therapeutics  in  Its 
Purity  Not  Suited  to  All — Irrational  Claims  of  Certain  Advocates  of 
Esoteric  Methods— Interaction  Between  Mind  and  Body— Is  Psycho- 
Therapy  Effectual  ?  Page  123 


PART    II. 

THE  PRACTICE  OF  PSYCHO-THERAPY. 
CHAPTER   I. 

PRELIMINARY  OBSERVATIONS. 

Thought  Runs  in  Customary  Grooves — AflBrmation  the  Method 
Conferring  Best  Results — The  Subjective  May  Take  Its  Cue  from  the 
Conduct — Examples  of  Powerful  Suggestion  Page  141 

CHAPTER  II. 

THE    PRACTICE    OF    PSYCHO-THERAPY    (CONTINUED). 

The  Practice  of  Auto-Suggestion.  Page  151 

CHAPTER  III. 

THE    PRACTICE    OF    PSYCHO-THERAPY    (CONTINUED). 

Suggestion  to  Others — Concerning  the  Physician  Himself — 
Reflex  Benefits — Practice  Makes  Perfect — The  Essentials  of  Success 
in  the  Suggester — Personal  Magnetism — The  Foregoing  Neither  Un- 
important Nor  Too  Elementary.  Page  16? 


16  TABLE    OF    CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE   PRACTICE    OF    PSYCHO-THERAPY  (CONTINUED). 

How  TO  Secure  Essentials  of  Success  in  the  Patient — Im- 
portance of  Attention — Media  of  Cure — Hypnosis — Suggestion  in 
Ordinary  Sleep — Suggestion  Under  Anesthesia — Suggestion  During 
Hysterical  Storms — How  to  Induce  Hypnosis — The  Phenomena  of 
Hypnotism — Position  for  Hypnosis — The  Scope  of  Hypnotic  Con- 
trol— Has  Hypnotism  a  Pernicious  Effect  on  the  Subject's  Mentality? 
— The  Hypnotic  Suggestion — Awakening  the  Patient — The  Effect 
Depends  Largely  on  the  Operator  and  His  Methods — The  Aim  Should 
Be  to  Educate — The  Salient  Features  of  Required  Education — Post- 
Hypnotic  Suggestion.  Page  175 

CHAPTER  V. 

the  practice  of  psycho-therapy  (continued). 
The  Place  of  Suggestion  in  Routine  Practice — Uses  of  Sug- 
gestion in  Medical  Practice — The  Examination — Positive  Diagnosis — 
Ihe  Prescription — Bedside  Visits — Frequency  of  Calls.  Page  197 

CHAPTER  VI. 

the  practice  of  psycho-therapy  (continued). 

Non-Routine    Suggestive    Treatment — Darkness — Close    the 

Patient's    Eyes  —  Suggestion    by   Manipulation  —  Suggestion   with 

Vacuum  Treatment — Suggestion    with  Electricity — Suggestion    with 

the  Inverted  Plane — Suggestion  Expedients  at  the  Bedside.    Page  207 

CHAPTER  VII. 

the  practice  of  psycho-therapy  (continued). 
Suggestion  in  Surgery — Suggestion  a  Factor  in  Surgical  Ad- 
vances— Suggestion  in  the  Surgical  Examination — Suggestion  Dur- 
ing THE  Operation — Suggestion  in  Anesthesia — Suggestion  in  Giving 
the  Anesthetic — Suggestibility  of  the  Patient  in  Anesthesia — Sugges- 
tion During  Waking  from  the  Anesthesia — Suggestion  in  After  Man- 
agement. Page  219 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE   practice  OF   PSYCHO-THERAPY   (CONTINUED). 

The  Question  of  Absent  Treatment — The  Question  Answered 
by  Telepathy — The  Theory  Is  Demonstrable — What  Are  the  Con- 
ditions of  Thought-Transferrence? — A  Suggestion  to  Be  Effective 
Need  Not  Reach  the  Conscious  Mind — Conclusion.  Page  229 


PART     ONE. 


The  principles  of  PSYCHO-THERAPY 


««When  the  distinction  was  first  drawn,  ' ARTES' 
meant  the  things  one  could  do,  and  '  SCIENTAE,'  the  things 
one  knew. 

(17) 


I. 


The    Present    Status  of   Medicine 


(19) 


OF  THE 

IVERSITY 

OF 

IFOBt;^^ 

Part    One. 

CHAPTER  I. 

THE  PRESENT  STATUS  OF  MEDICINE. 

Drug  Medication  Does  Not  Com- 
mand Professional  Confidence. 

Not  very  long  ago  an 
eminent  practitioner  of  the  dominant  school  of 
medicine  said  in  my  hearing  to  a  class  of  stu- 
dents whom  he  was  addressing  on  the  subject  of 
typhoid  fever,  with  a  case  from  the  hospital 
wards  lying  before  him,  "Gentlemen:  Concern- 
ing treatment,  let  me  say  that  the  very  best 
treatment  for  this  disease  is  plenty  of  fresh  air; 
little,  or  no,  food;  and  no  medicine  whatever. 
You  may  have  to  administer  some  drugs  to  ap- 
pease the  anxiety  of  friends,  but  I  assure  you 
that  we  have  no  medicines  that  are  of  any  practi- 
cal service  in  this  disease." 

"But,"  says  the  homeopath,  "that  admission 
was  from  an  old-school  practitioner.  The  new 
school  can  offer  better  testimony. " 

Can  they  ?  We  shall  all  do  well  to  give  more 
analytical  study  to  our  resources  as  disclosed  in 
the  light  of  results  fairly  attributable  to  remedial 
action. 

The  following  has  been  taken  from  the  annual 
address  of  the  President  of  the  New  York  State 
Homeopathic  Medical  Society,  delivered  at  a 
recent  meeting: 

(21) 


22  PRESENT    STATUS    OF    MEDICINE 


**  This  is  a  scientific  age  and  we  must  conform  to  the 
methods  of  scientists  to  arrive  at  conclusions  of  any 
value.  Today,  statistics  alone  will  answer  this  pur- 
pose. Each  one  of  us  believes  that  certain  diseases 
run  a  more  favorable  course  and  the  death  rate  is  much 
less  under  homeopathic  treatment.  But  where  are  our 
statistics  to  demonstrate  this  to  the  world  at  large? 
Echo  answers  where? 

*'  Many  years  ago,  when  homeopathy  was  introduced 
into  the  hospitals  of  Vienna,  when  drugging  and  blood- 
letting was  the  practice  in  the  treatment  of  pneumonia, 
the  death  rate  promptly  fell  under  the  new  treatment, 
and  those  statistics  have  often  been  used  to  demon- 
strate the  efScacy  of  the  practice.  But  what  happened? 
A  skeptic  arose  who  had  little  faith  in  the  infinitesimal 
dose,  and  who  tried  treating  a  certain  number  of  cases 
with  no  medicine  whatever,  with  the  result  that  his  death 
rate  was  practically  identical  with  that  under  homeo- 
pathic administration.  Thereupon  the  treatment  of  no 
medicine  was  substituted  for  the  homeopathic,  and  con- 
tinues with  few  modifications  to  the  present  day." 

Enthusiasm  over  the  curative  power  of  the 
remedies  commonly  used  in  serious  diseases  is  a 
characteristic  of  the  Neophyte  in  medicine.  This 
one,  with  consummate  faith  in  the  action  of  his 
httle-tried  remedies,  salHes  forth  to  meet  the 
enemy.  In  prehminary  skirmishes  he  meets  fair 
success.  He  praises  his  armamentarium  and  re- 
joices in  the  skill  with  which  he  utilizes  it.  But 
when  you  see  the  same  man  a  few  years  after- 
wards you  find  him  cautious,  and  conservative, 
and  deliberate:  quite  unlike  the  enthusiast  that 
he  was. 

To  be  sure  this  is  not  true  of  all,  for  there 
are  some,  possessing  small  discrimination,  who 
appear  to  gather  their  conclusions  from  the 
realm  of  fancy  rather  than  of  fact.  Most  pJiy- 
sicians  of  mature  experience,  with  a  fair  meastire 
of  discriininatfbe  and  deductive  power,  feel  most 


DRUGS  HAVE  CURATIVE  VALUES       23 


acutely  their  relative  helplessness  in  the  presence 
of  portentous  disease. 

The  truth  is  that  the  best  medical  skill  can  do 
little  else  than  rectify  minor  physical  ills  by 
means  of  drug  remedies  and  modify  the  course 
of  the  major  ones.  ^    _     , 

Fatal  disease  appears  to  ' '  take  the  bit  in  its 
teeth"  and  gallop  resolutely  onward  to  the  end  of 
the  route,  no  matter  how  frantically  we  may  tug 
at  the  reins. 

I  have  seen  many  medical  practitioners 
become  enthusiasts  over  the  assumed  marvelous 
action  of  drug  remedies.  I  have  heard  them 
relate,  in  radiant  terms,  how  they  "brought 
through"  patient  after  patient  supposedly  lost  m 
the  mazes  of  disease,  attributing  "no  action"  to 
one  remedy  and  "pronounced  action"  to  an- 
other, when,  in  truth,  a  mind  capable  of  properly 
weighing  evidence  should  have  clearly  seen  that 
the  fluctuations  indicated  were  likely  due  to  the 
unsteady  motions  of  the  vital  forces  in  their  con- 
test with  the  morbific  elements.  We  are  all 
fully  convinced  that  our  remedies  do  possess  a 
degree  of  power  over  morbid  conditions,  and  yet 
there  is  no  denying  that  indubitable  demonstra- 
tion of  their  curative  action  is  not  the  facile  theo- 
rem it  is  commonly  supposed  to  be. 

Drues  Have  Curative  Values.— 

^  BUT  IT  IS  UNDERSTOOD 

THAT  WE  ARE  READY  TO  CONTEND  THAT  THERE  IS  A 
PREPONDERANCE  OF  EVIDENCE  TO  PROVE  THAT  DRUG 
REMEDIES  DO  POSSESS  CURATIVE  VIRTUES. 

Advocates  of  the  "New  Thought"  movement 
err  in  conceding  to  medicine  no  virtues.  There 
is    no    denying   that   the   drug   itself   has   little 


24  PRESENT    STATUS    OF    MEDICINE 

curative  power — perhaps  none  at  all.  My 
own  theory  is  that  the  drug  effects  its  purpose 
throuojh  the  subtle  action  of  suggestion  upon  the 
subconscious  faculties  (represented  by  the  sym- 
pathetic nervous  system).  What  I  mean  by 
this  is  that  the  drug,  by  virtue  of  selective  affin- 
ity, irritates  (stimulates,  if  you  prefer  the  term) 
some  particular  nerve  center,  or  even  nerve  ter- 
minal, through  which  a  customary  physiological 
action  ordinarily  passes,  or  in  which  it  is  usually 
excited,  the  artificial  stimulus  being  accepted  by 
the  controlling  power  for  the  genuine,  and  the 
usual  phenomena  accordingly  developed. 

There  are  examples  of  such  action  resulting 
from  mechanical  irritation,  and  there  is  good 
reason  for  believing  that  drugs  act  in  an  anal- 


Valuable  Methods 
Sometimes  Rejected. 

The  spirit  of  uncertainty  and 
consequent  discouragement  that  has  crept  into 
medicine  as  the  result  of  repeated  and  conspic- 
uous failures  has  greatly  weakened  its  power. 
It  is  doubtless  because  of  this  that  new  methods 
have  sprung  up  so  numerously  and  are  claiming 
so  much  public  attention  and  patronage. 

It  is  all  in  accord  with  the  evolutionary  trend, 
and  abundant  good  to  humanity  is  bound  to 
emerge  from  the  confusion. 

But  in  this  very  place  there  stalks  forth  that 
which  to  the  laity  is  a  most  astonishing  anom- 
aly. Every  one  is  craving  new  resources,  and 
yet  a  suggestion  tendered  by  one  outside  the 
brotherhood  of  science  is  not  only  rejected  but 
spurned    without    investigation    of    its    merits. 


TRUE    SCIENCE.  25 


This,  I  say,  to  the  popular  mind,  is  an  anomaly: 
to  all  it  is  irrational. 

True  Science. 

The  scientific  man  is  he  who  has  an 
intimate  acquaintance  with  laws  and  principles. 
Science  has  been  defined  by  Prof.  Hyslop  as  "  a 
body  of  truths  or  hypotheses  which  have  pre- 
sented empirical  credentials  in  their  favor,  and 
are  to  be  modified  by  the  same  methods." 
Scientific  investigation  is  an  orderly  and  critical 
inquiry  into  observed  phenomena. 

Few  physicians  enter  the  domain  of  pure 
science:  they  leave  that  field  to  him  who  can 
command  his  time  and  has  a  penchant  for  such 
study.  Accordingly  the  physician  is  obliged  to 
obtain  his  knowledge  at  second  hand,  accepting 
as  final  the  conclusions  of  the  pure  scientist. 

When  a  practitioner  of  medicine  is  spoken  of 
as  a  "scientific  man,"  allusion  is  to  one  who 
has  a  good  knowledge  of  truths,  assumed  or 
real,  which  have  a  direct  bearing  upon  the  pros- 
ecution of  his  life  work. 

It  therefore  follows  that  a  truly  scientific  phy- 
sician or  surgeon  must  have  an  acquaintance  with 
ascertained  facts,  classified  knowledge  and  prev- 
alent hypotheses  w^iich  have  an  appreciable 
bearing  upon  the  work  that  falls  to  his  hand. 
But  the  field  of  research  is  so  broad,  and  the  in- 
ferences derived  by  students  of  science  so  varied, 
that  the  man  whose  days  are  full  of  ministra- 
tions to  those  suffering  from  mental  and  physical 
ills  can  hardly  find  time  to  inform  himself  con- 
cerning even  the  essentials  of  successful  and 
intelligent  practice. 

In  this  truth  lies  the  necessity  for  leaning  on 


26  PRESENT   STATUS    OF    MEDICINE. 

Others  for  both  data  and  inferences  concerning 
many  things  of  great  practical  value. 

In  the  pressure  of  numerous  and  tremendous 
demands  it  has  been  thought  wise  by  investiga- 
tors to  study  phenomena  mainly  from  the  ma- 
terialistic point  of  view.  It  is  only  within  the 
past  decade  or  two  that  true  scientific  inquiry 
has  been  attempted,  save  by  the  few,  in  the 
realm  of  the  immaterial. 

Yet  all  the  time  investigators  have  recognized 
the  vast  importance  of  phenomena  about  which 
little  can  be  learned  through  an  exclusive  study 
of  matter  in  its  varied  manifestations. 

Matter  and  Mind. 

Matter  is  known  to  be  nothing 
more  than  matter,  and,  at  best,  but  a  medium  of 
expression  of  a  hidden  Something.  This  un- 
known Something  we  find  variously  wrought  and 
are  lost  in  astonishment  and  admiration  at  its 
manifestations. 

In  general,  modern  science  has  rested  con- 
tented with  what  can  be  demonstrated  to  the 
five  senses,  and  in  practice  has  reckoned  it  the 
all.  The  vast  unknown  has  been  reckoned  as 
unknov/able,  and  men  have  been  willing  to  leave 
it  unexplored.  Even  hypotheses  concerning  it 
have  been,  by  many,  discouraged. 

The  UNITY  OF  ALL  PHENOMENA,  howcvcr,  has 
forced  its  way  into  our  convictions. 

They  are  all  ONE.  "The  power  that  mani- 
fests throughout  the  universe  distinguished  as 
material,"  says  Spencer,  "is  the  same  power 
which  in  ourselves  wells  up  under  the  form  of 
consciousness. " 

Emerson  says: 


DISEASE    ORIGIN    IN    MIND.  27 


«'  It  is  a  secret  which  every  intellectual  man  quickly 
learns,  that  beyond  the  energy  of  his  possessed  and  con- 
scious intellect  he  is  capable  of  a  new  energy  (as  of  an 
intellect  doubled  on  itself),  by  abandonment  to  the 
nature  of  things;  that  besides  his  privacy  of  power  as 
an  individual  man  there  is  a  great  public  power  on 
which  he  can  draw,  by  unlocking,  at  all  hazards,  his 
human  doors  and  suffering  the  ethereal  tides  to  roll  and 
circulate  through  him;  then  he  is  caught  up  into  the  life 
cf  the  universe,  his  speech  is  thunder,  his  thought  is 
law,  and  his  words  are  universally  intelligible  as  the 
plants  and  the  animals." 

The  Origin  of  Disease  in  Mind. 

Into  this  great  un- 
known it  is  only  recently  that  the  scientist  has 
dared  to  enter.  That  he  is  following  the  foot- 
steps of  the  philosopher  into  a  region  of  exact 
law  and  uniform  phenomena  is  very  clear. 
Many  facts  have  already  been  collated  and  some 
of  the  controlling  laws  have  been  uncovered. 
But  these  new  thoughts  and  discoveries  stand  in 
great  need  of  classification  and  definition.  Prog- 
ress is  being  made,  hypotheses  are  forming,  and 
exact  experiments  are  developing  truths. 

The  opinion  long  held,  and  often  set  forth  in 
precise  terms  by  those  whose  intuitions  were  al- 
lowed to  anticipate  their  reason,  that  the  essen- 
tial etiology  of  disease  lies  in  the  psychic  realm, 
is  being  accepted  by  scientific  observers. 

There  is  not  now  a  shadow  of  doubt  that  the 
origin  of  disease  is  in  perverted  mental  concepts, 
logical  enough  in  form,  but  built  on  wrong  pre- 
mises. These  pernicious  thoughts,  however,  are 
not  necessarily  of  the  conscious  type, 

"Introspective  states,"  says  Prof.  Elmer  Gates,  in 
Mow/s/,  "affect  metabolism,  circulation,  respiration,  di- 
gestion,   assimilation,    excretion,     secretion,     growth, 


28  PRESENT   STATUS    OF    MEDICINE. 


sleep,  wakefulness,  strength,  health,  hearing,  seeing, 
tasting,  smelling,  temperature,  the  pressure  senses, 
dreams,  movements,  complexion,  voice,  gesture  and 
environment." 

A  few  months  ago  I  had  a  patient  of  neurotic 
temperament  whose  heat  centers,  from  emotion- 
al causes,  became  so  overwrought  that  her  tem- 
perature for  several  hours,  on  two  consecutive 
days,  promptly  sent  the  mercury  in  my  ther- 
mometer to  the  top  of  the  tube,  registering 
112°  F.  How  much  higher  her  temperature 
really  was  I  am  unable  to  say;  but,  from  the 
rapidity  with  which  the  mercury  mounted  to  the 
112°  mark,  I  was  led  to  believe  that  it  would 
have  gone  much  higher  had  the  tube  been  longer. 
She  was  not  relieved  by  drugs,  freely  given,  but 
was  quickly  put  into  a  normal  state  by  means  of 
suggestion. 

The  evil  effect  on  the  physical  organism  of 
pernicious  thought  is  admitted  by  every  prac- 
titioner. He  will  some  day  learn  that  the  good 
effect  of  wholesome  thought  is  equally  pro- 
nounced. 

The  average  man  or  woman  is  a  prey  to  un- 
regulated and  uneducated  thought.  Is  it  any 
wonder,  then,  that  his  body  suffers  from  the 
fear,  the  anger,  the  malice,  and  the  worry  which 
his  lack  of  discipline  encourages  and  engen- 
ders? 

Inquiry  Should  E7tend 
Into  the  Psychic  Realm. 

Now  what  I  want  to  ask  is 
this:  Why  should  we,  as  scientific  physicians,  al- 
low prejudice  to  debar  us  from  therapeutic  re- 
sources that  are  apt  to  prove  far  more  effective, 


ADVANCED    THOUGHT    WINS    SLOWLY.  29 


it  may  be,  than  any  now  at  our  command  ?  Why 
not  enter  and  cultivate  a  field  now  running  to 
weeds  but  capable  of  developing  the  richest 
fruits? 

We  should  strenuously  avoid  the  state  of  mmd 
of  the  good  Scotch  woman,  who,  when  charged 
with  not  being  open  to  conviction,  replied:  "Not 
open  to  conviction?  I  scorn  the  imputation. 
But,"  she  added,  after  a  moment's  hesitation, 
"show  me  the  man  who  can  convince  me." 

We  have  but  to  add  the  psychic  realm  to  the 
scope  of  our  inquiry.  There  is  no  occasion,  and 
there  would  be  no  rational  excuse,  for  lessening 
in  the  slightest  the  ardor  of  our  investigation  in 
the  realm  of  matter.  Then  why  so  circumscribe 
the  breadth  of  our  inquiry  as  to  make  con- 
clusions one-sided  and  incomplete?  Why  not 
scrutinize  every  set  of  phenomena  and  make  our 
knowledge  all-embracing  ?  Is  it  becoming  to  ig- 
nore phenomena,  as  clear  and  impressive  as  any, 
because  the  unscientific  have  ventured  theories 
concerning  them  and  have  built  fantastic  beliefs 
upon  them? 

Advanced  Thought  Wins  Its 
Way  Slowly,    but   Surely. 

It  is  said  that  every  ad- 
vanced thought  of  a  revolutionary  character  goes 
through  three  stages.  It  is  first  spurned,  then 
declared  to  be  nothing  new,  and  ultimately  ac- 
cepted with  the  comment  that  it  was  always 
believed. 

Suggestive  therapy  has  passed  the  first  stage 
and  is  now  merging  from  the  second  into  the 
third.  There  are  many  physicians  and  surgeons 
of    good    standing    who    systematically    utilize 


30  PRESENT   STATUS    OF    MEDICINE. 

psychic  forces  in  their  practice;  but  when  com- 
pared with  the  host  of  doctors  who  attend  suf- 
fering humanity  the  world  over,  they  are  scarcely 
discernible. 

Why  Are  These  Things  So  ? 

They  are  so  because  mental 
therapeutics  has  been  for  so  long  the  real  modus 
operandi  of  the  vast  army  of  charlatans,  and  the 
whole  subject  has  thus  acquired  so  bad  a  name 
that  most  men  fear  for  their  reputation  if  they 
touch  it.  But  the  time  to  claim  v/hat  is  rightly 
ours  has  arrived. 

The  world  wants  men — large-hearted,  manly  men — 

Men  who  shall  join  in  chorus  and  prolong 

The  psalm  of  labor  and  of  love. 

The  age  wants  heroes — heroes  who  shall  dare 

To  struggle  in  the  solid  ranks  of  truth; 

To  clutch  the  m-onster,  Error,  by  the  throat; 

To  bear  opinion  to  a  loftier  seat; 

To  blot  the  error  of  oppression  out, 

And  lead  a  universal  freedom  in. 


II. 


The   Present  Status   of   Medicine 

(continued) 


(31) 


"The  degree  of  vision  that  dwells  in  a  man  is  the  correct 
measure  of  a  man."—  Carlyle. 

"  SEC.  6.— The  physician  should  be  a  minister  of  hope  and 
comfort  to  the  sick,  since  life  may  be  lengthened  or 
shortened  not  only  by  the  acts  but  by  the  words  or  manner 
of  the  physician,  whose  solemn  duty  is  to  avoid  aU  utter- 
ances and  actions  havingr  a  tendency  to  discourage  and  de- 
press the  patient."— Principloi  of  Medical  Ethics. 

"Yes,  there  is  luck  in  this  world;  but  nobody  ever  had  it 
unless  he  reached  for  it ;  unless  he  seized  it,  and  with  all 
his  mind  and  all  his  might  developed  his  opportunity 
when  it  came.  There  are  plenty  of  apples  on  the  trees,  but 
it's  only  those  fellows  who  make  a  spring  and  climb  for 
them  who  get  them."— Senator  Depeto  inN.  T.  Daily  News. 


(32) 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE  PRESENT  STATUS  OF  MEDICINE— Continued, 

The  Demands  of  the  Hour. 

The  civilized  world  was 
supposed  long  since  to  be  rid  of  slavery.  But  it  is 
not.  Mankind,  in  increasing  numbers,  are  in  the 
vilest  serfdom. 

A  woman  of  culture  and  refinement  called  at 
my  office  recently.  She  was  dressed  with  taste 
and  gave  other  evidences  of  favorable  environ- 
ment; and  yet  I  soon  learned  that  she  was  as 
completely  under  the  dominion  of  fear  as  ever 
was  galley  slave  under  the  power  of  other  men. 
Fear  followed  her  wherever  she  went.  More 
than  once  had  she  sought  relief  from  her  torment 
in  visits  to  foreign  lands;  but  in  London,  and 
Paris,  and  Berlin  it  haunted  her  still.  The 
trouble  was  that  by  travel  she  could  not  escape 
herself.  She  had  sought  out  many  doctors  and 
various  means  of  treatment,  without  relief.  In 
truth,  some  physicians  had  but  bound  her  mis- 
conceptions more  closely  and  had  awakened  new 
fears.     Altogether  she  was  a  wretched  woman. 

She  is  only  one  of  the  millions  who  swell  the 
army  of  serfs  in  this  and  other  countries  and  give 
the  world  much  of  its  unrest.  What  the  people 
need  (every  one  of  whom,  did  he  but  know  it,  is 
"to  the  manner  born")  is  hberation  from  the 
shackles  of  real  and  fancied  disease.  There  is 
an  undertone  of  woe  filling  the  whole  world,  and 
one  has   but  to   hearken  to  hear  it.     Suffering 


34  PRESENT   STATUS   OF   MEDICINE. 

enshrouds  the  earth,  and  the  cry  goes  up  to 
heaven,  "Who  shall  deliver  me  from  the  body 
of  this  death  ?" 

Certain  Advances. 

There  is  not  the  same  prevalence 
of  epidemic  disease.  A  measure  of  relief  has 
come.  The  decimating  plagues  of  former  days 
have  lost  their  virulency.  The  pestilence  no 
longer  "walks  in  darkness  and  wastes  at  noon- 
day." Its  power  is  broken.  Relief  came  through 
clean  living  and  relative  purity  of  surroundings. 
Making  "clean  the  outside  of  the  platter"  has 
done  much,  very  much,  for  humanity;  but  the 
springs  of  thought  are  still  fouled. 

Internal  sanitation  is  of  far  more  value  than 
external.  Cleanse  the  mind  of  its  brood  of  noxi- 
ous thoughts,  as  well  as  the  body  of  its  harmful 
practices,  and  the  world  will  become  compara- 
tively free  from  its  present  load  of  ills. 

Prevention  of  Disease. 

Remember  that  disease  is  far 
more  easily  prevented  than  cured.  I  do  not 
hesitate  to  afhrm  that  the  ailments  which 
ordinarily  follow  an  undeviating  course  to  a  fatal 
issue  are  nearly  always  preventable,  and  that  the 
efficient  prophylaxis  lies  in  the  direction  of  well- 
trained  thought. 

The  two  cardinal  essentials  of  success  are  (1) 
the  elimination  of  conscious  fear  and  (2)  the 
establishment  of  an  absolute  faith  in  the  unity 
and  goodness  of  all  things.  It  is  intended  that 
these  things  be  in  addition  to  observance  of  the 
usual  preventive  measures. 

So  long  as  we  are  in  the  flesh  we  must  mind 


CHRONIC   AILMENTS   MORE   PREVALENT.  35 


the  things  of  the  flesh.  The  subjective  mind 
senses  and  the  objective  mind  theorizes  on  the 
sensations.  Accordingly,  the  former  awaits  its 
cue  from  the  latter. 

Besides,  it  is  evident  that  the  same  sensations 
do  not  produce  the  same  objective  phenomena. 
Action  is  given  different  directions  by  the  differ- 
ing thoughts.  When  the  subjective  mind  re- 
ports to  the  ego  a  certain  sensation,  in  the  ab- 
sence of  specific  directions  the  customary  action 
follows. 

But  the  objective  faculty  is  able  at  will  to  place 
an  unusual  interpretation  upon  the  sensation, 
and,  accordingly,  vary  the  expression. 

It  is  also  possible  for  the  objective  mind  so  to 
train  the  subjective  faculties  that  sensations  shall 
be  altogether  ignored  and  deprived  of  evil  effect. 
This  means  that  the  organic  functions  can  be 
measurably  regulated  through  volition  exercised 
by  the  conscious  mind. 

The  physician's  duties  are  not  merely  to  minis- 
ter to  the  sick.  The  obligation  is  laid  upon  him  to 
teach  people  how  to  avoid  mental  and  physical 
ills.  In  doing  this  he  will  be  following  a  sacred 
vocation,  and  will  forfeit  neither  ethical  nor 
financial  reward. 

Chronic  Ailments  More 
Prevalent  Than  Ever. 

Leaving  out  of  account  the 
contagious  diseases  which  have  been  unquestion- 
ably reduced  in  prevalence  and  virulency  as  the 
result  of  scrupulous  attention  to  sanitary  meas- 
ures, the  grand  total  of  disease  has  not  been 
reduced. 

The  discouraging  feature  connected  with  the 


36  PRESENT   STATUS   OF    MEDICINE. 

problem  of  prophylaxis  lies  in  the  operation  of  a 
counter  psychic  factor.  Modern  scientific  re- 
search has  brought  into  publicity  a  class  of  ex- 
perimenters wholly  devoted  to  their  work,  enthu- 
siastic, able  men  in  their  particular  lines,  but 
largely  men  whose  range  of  vision  does  not 
extend  much  beyond  the  horizon  of  their  own 
special  field.  They  are  chiefly  young  men  of 
the  strenuous  type,  whose  perceptions  converge, 
so  much  of  the  time,  wholly  on  their  work  that 
they  fail  to  obtain  a  comprehensive  view  of  the 
ultimate  effect  of  their  unguarded  utterances. 

Another  strenuous  class,  called  journalists, 
made  up  of  young  men  and  women  who  are 
merely  looking  for  things  startling  and  outre,  be- 
siege the  laboratories  for  news,  which  in  its 
immaturity,  and  with  no  particular  safeguards,  is 
precipitated  upon  the  eager  public  mind. 

But  this  is  not  all.  There  are  many  surgeons, 
and  fewer  physicians,  who  avail  themselves  of 
new  advertising  methods  offered  by  enterprising 
newspapers  to  proclaim  half-truths  and  some- 
times mere  chimeras  of  a  disturbing  nature  to 
obtain  notoriety  and  the  emoluments  that  noto- 
riety brings. 

Disease  Producers. 

To  my  mind  the  public  herald- 
ing of  disease-producing  factors  and  operative 
procedures  has  a  pernicious  effect  in  the  direc- 
tion of  physical  disorder  induced  by  the  morbid 
fears  thereby  engendered. 

The  following  from  the  Chicago  Trzdune  under 
date  of  March  4,  1903,  has  the  early  appearance 
of  innocence,   but  to  minds  already  full  of  fear 


DIAGNOSIS    BUT   NOT   CURE.  37 

concerning  disease  and  death  it  has  great  signif- 
icance and  may  carry  untold  harm : 
'"As  a  result  of  our  work,'  declare  Prof.  A.  P.  Mathews 
and  B.  R.  Whitcher  in  the  last  issue  of  the  American 
Journal  of  Physiology,  '  we  have  become  convinced  of 
the  probable  truth  of  Meltzer's  opinion  concerning  the 
importance  of  mechanical  shock  in  the  life  history  of 
the  body  and  other  cells.'" 

Prof.  Mathews  then  raises  the  question  as  to 

how  constant  submission  to  shock  by  motormen, 

street-car  conductors  and  factory  employes  may 

effect  the  length  of  life. 

*'The  question  thus  raised  is  of  considerable  im- 
portance," writes  Prof.  Mathews.  '♦  For  example,  what 
effect  has  the  constant  vibration  of  flour  mills  on  the 
length  of  life,  the  vital  resistance  and  the  physiological 
functions  of  mill  operatives?  How  far  will  mechanical 
jarring  account  for  the  digestive  and  vasomotor 
disturbances  many  suffer  in  railway  travel?  Are  the 
motormen  or  conductors  of  street  railways  influenced  by 
the  violent  shocks  to  which  they  are  constantly  sub- 
jected?" 

The  question  here  raised  is  one  suited  to  dis- 
cussion in  the  journal  where  it  originally  ap- 
peared, but  it  ought  never  to  have  found  its  way 
into  a  public  print.  What  is  brought  out  is 
only  a  question,  at  best.  Is  not  the  public  mind 
sufficiently  alarmed  over  the  possibilities  of  dis- 
ease without  further  harrowing? 

Between  the  harrow  of  the  germ  theory,  which 
still  remains  a  theory,  with  the  accompanying 
announcement  of  the  multiplication  of  destroyers 
in  the  water  we  drink,  the  food  we  eat,  and  the 
air  we  breathe,  and  the  other  announcement  of 
new  diseases  peculiar  to  the  various  |([vocations, 
humanity  is  having  a  hard  time  of  it. 


38  PRESENT   STATUS    OF    MEDICINE. 

Advanced  Diagfnosis,  but 
Not  Advanced  Cure. 

Scientific  study,  confined  as 
it  has  been  almost  wholly  to  an  investigation 
of  material  phenomena  from  the  standpoint  of 
material  cause,  while  it  is  doing  valiant  service 
by  accumulating  facts  bearing  on  normal  and 
abnormal  organic  phenomena  of  inestimable  value 
as  an  aid  to  diagnosis,  is  accomphshing  little  of 
true  therapeutic  worth. 

It  cannot  be  denied  that  the  average  duration 
of  life  has  steadily  increased  during  the  past  cen- 
tury; it  is  nevertheless  clearly  true  that  the  im- 
provement is  due  mainly  to  three  factors — (1)  im- 
proved sanitation,  (2)  reduced  medication,  and  (3) 
more  intelligent  nursing. 

Medicinal  specifics  have  not  been  materially 
increased  in  either  number  or  energy.  New 
remedies  have  been  multipHed,  but  their  cura- 
tive values  have  not  yet  been  certainly  de- 
termined. 

The  much-vaunted  serum  therapy  appears  to 
be  losing  its  hold  on  professional  confidence. 

Altogether,  so  little  better  is  the  physician  of 
the  twentieth  century  fitted  to  do  successful 
battle  with  established  disease,  except  as  he  may 
more  intelligently  avail  himself  of  psychic  aid, 
that  the  materialist's  hope  of  physical  salvation 
cannot  be  said  to  be  any  nearer  reahzation. 


III. 


The   Present    Status  of    Medicine 

(contindbd) 


•'It  is  not  a  question  of  the  correctness  or  incorrectness  of 
a  physicians  diagnosis;  in  his  treatments,  the  healer 
must  lools  deeper,  never  losing  sight  of  the  truth,  that 
the  realm  of  mind  is  the  realm  of  cause,  and  the  realm  of 
matter  the  realm  of  effect ;  that  he  must  deal  with  causes 
and  thus  change  efifects."— Jf.  Woodbury  Sawyer. 

"Man  awakens  to  conscionsness  to  find  himself  played  upon 
by  impulses,  tendencies  and  emotions.  His  mind  is  largely 
swayed  by  the  demands  of  the  body,  and  he  in  turn  is 
swayed  by  his  mind._  Habit  speaks  stronger  than  the  soul, 
and  ideas  master  him  until  he  learns  to  reason.  And  he 
must  come  to  judgment  within  and  know  that  he  is  a  slave 
before  he  can  learn  how  to  become  a  master."— Dresser. 


(40) 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE  PRESENT  STATUS  OF  MEDICINE— Continued. 

The  Surgical  Idea. 

Along  surgical  lines  it  must  be 
seen  that  there  have  been  startling  improve- 
ments. The  treatment  of  chronic  diseases,  es- 
pecially in  gynecology,  has  been  turned  over, 
almost  wholly,  to  surgery. 

A  professor  of  diseases  of  women  said  to  me 
not  long  ago:  "Gynecology,  which,  of  course, 
Doctor,  we  now  understand  to  mean  Gyneco- 
logical Surgery, "  etc. 

In  truth  it  may  be  said  that  physicians  in  the 
large  cities  in  their  desperation  have  dropped 
their  bottles  and  are  now  brandishing  their 
knives. 

It  may  also  be  said  that  there  is  now  scarcely 
an  acute  disease,  outside  those  of  a  contagious 
nature,  in  which  surgical  intervention  is  not  often 
called  for  by  the  standard  indications. 

Not  All  Who  Cut  Are  Sur§:eons. 

The  result  is  that 
there  has  grown  up  a  large  body  of  surgeons, 
many  of  whom  have  been  restricted  in  their  ex- 
perience almost  wholly  to  the  practice  of  their 
specialty,  and  as  a  consequence  are  poorly  qual- 
ified to  render  an  intelligent  opinion  concerning 
the  possibility  of  cure  by  other  measures. 

These  surgeons  would  not  uniformly  admit 
that  a  psychic  element  enters  very  prominently 

(41) 


42  PRESENT   STATUS    OF    MEDICINE. 

into  the  development  of  their  cures  by  surgery 
because  they  have  been  looking  at  events  so 
steadily  from  a  materialistic  standpoint;  but  I 
have  become  fully  convinced  that  it  does. 

Surgeons  are  commonly  rated  according  to  the 
deftness  and  skill  with  which  they  execute  their 
work.  When  we  see  a  well-performed  operation 
we  are  constrained  to  say  that  the  operator  is  an 
excellent  surgeon.  And  so  he  may  be;  but  we 
should  not  forget  that  manipulative  skill  can  be  ac- 
quired by  any  one  who  possesses  a  good  degree 
of  mechanical  ingenuity.  I  have  seen  carpenters 
capable  of  doing  the  finest  cabinet  work  whose 
opinion  on  the  construction  of  a  building  would 
be  rated  very  low. 

The  true  standing  of  a  workman  is  determined 
by  his  character  when  placed  beside  those  whose 
work  has  not  only  endured,  but  each  part  of 
which  has  borne  a  consistent  relation  to  every 
other  part.  This  means  that  we  are  to  deter- 
mine the  value  of  work  by  the  mental  breadth  of 
the  doer  and  by  the  ultimate  results  of  his  doing. 

Psychic  Effect  Determines  Cure. 

The  foregoing  has 
been  said  as  introductory  to  the  proposition  that, 
even  in  surgery,  the  psychic  effect  determines 
very  largely  the  result  of  treatment. 

Effects  are  built  upon  the  mental  impressions 
received  by  the  patient.  Let  one  present  him- 
self to  the  surgeon  for  his  opinion.  The  latter 
examines  him  with  care  and  evinces  much  diag- 
nostic skill.  He  looks  seriously  wise,  and,  after 
due  thought,  mildly  advises  an  operation.  He 
does  not  raise  his  patient's  hope,  nor  does  he,  by 


PSYCHIC  EFFECT  DETERMINES  CURE.  43 

either  word   or   demeanor,    express   much   con- 
fidence in  the  results  of  the  operation. 

He  operates. 

The  patient  is  returned  to  his  bed  and  placed 
in  the  care  of  a  nurse  whose  demeanor  is  not  cal- 
culated to  raise  one's  hopes.  When  the  surgeon 
reappears  he  wears  the  same  troubled  look,  and, 
in  reply  to  interrogatories,  still  shows,  beneath 
his  platitudes  and  attitudes,  a  disheartening  un- 
certainty. 

Another  patient  presents  himself  to  a  surgeon 
of  a  widely  different  stamp.  He  may  be  neither 
as  "scientific"  nor  as  "experienced"  as  the 
other.  The  examination  is  not  so  exact,  much 
being  trusted  to  intuition ;  but  the  air  with  which 
the  whole  thing  is  done  proves  very  taking  to  the 
patient.  The  operation  is  not  coldly  recom- 
mended, but  is  warmly  insisted  upon. 

No  time  is  to  be  lost  in  getting  about  it. 

The  patient  goes  to  the  table  with  an  air  of 
hopeful  expectancy.  He  is  not  surprised  to  find 
himself  still  on  earth  when  he  wakes,  and  soon 
begins  to  talk  of  health  and  strength.  The 
nurse  is  cheerful  and  reassuring,  for  the  sur- 
geon would  tolerate  no  other.  The  surgeon  is 
in  and  out  with  a  smile  and  a  word  of  pleasantry. 
There  is  sunshine  in  the  air  even  though  the 
shades  be  drawn. 

Which  of  these  patients,  think  you,  is  more 
likely  to  make  a  good  recovery  ?  I  do  not  need 
to  ask. 

If  we  deem  it  wise  to  operate  at  all,  it  is  wise  to 
look  for  good  results  and  lead  the  patient  to  expect 
the  same,  no  matter  how  grave  the  procedure. 

We  are  very  apt  to  get  what  we  cheerfully 
expect  and  to  experience  what  we  fear. 


44  PRESENT    STATUS    OF    MEDICINE. 

One  is  not  long  in  surgery  before  learning  that 
results  are  often  out  of  proportion  to  the  import- 
ance of  the  work  done.  What  I  mean  is  that 
the  operation  of  powerful  psychic  forces  soon  be- 
comes manifest.  In  one  instance  we  see  a 
patient,  overburdened  by  life's  cares  and  dis- 
tresses and  discouragements,  submit  willingly  to 
an  operation  of  only  moderate  severity.  The 
ordinary  effect  of  the  operation  is  not  of  a  de- 
pressing character,  and  yet,  to  our  consternation, 
the  patient  fails  to  rally  from  his  depression  or 
hastens  to  a  demise.  "• 

In  another  instance  we  find  a  patient  in  great 
distress  of  mind  and  body,  presenting  but  few 
tangible  symptoms  and  fewer  still  tissue  changes. 
We  do  a  minor  operation,  though  there  is  little 
apparent  demand  for  it.  Mark  the  difference  in 
results.  The  patient  responds  at  once.  He 
feels  relieved.  The  fancied  incubus  has  been 
removed  and  he  becomes  a  well  man. 

Cause  of  Differing  Results. 

Now  what  is  the  meaning 
of  all  this  ?  We  say  one  has  no  constitution — no 
reserve  force;  while  the  other  is  full  of  the  re- 
active power  which  is  the  rightful  heritage  of  hu- 
manity. But  what  is  constitution  if  not  the 
result  chiefly  of  habits  of  thought,  going  back,  it 
may  be,  deeply  into  ancestry  ?  What  is  physic- 
al resiliency  if  not  the  rebound  which  comes  as  the 
result  of  subconscious  as  well  as  conscious  men- 
tal attitudes  long  maintained  and  energetically 
held.  It  is  physical  character  resulting  from  a 
permanent  effect  produced  on  the  subconscious 
activities. 

But  why   should  a  simple  and  seemingly  un- 


TOO    MUCH    SURGERY.  45 

necessary  operation  afford  a  patient  so  great  re- 
lief? Because  a  patient  recovers  his  normal 
feelings  promptly  after  removal  of  a  few  papilla 
from  the  rectum  is  no  positive  evidence  that 
those  papilla  were  the  cause  of  his  troubles. 
We  should  not  too  hastily  infer  that  removal  of 
offending  parts  in  any  case  is  the  sole,  or  even 
the  most  distinct,  factor  in  the  recovery  that 
ensues. 

The  point  that  I  seek  to  make,  and  one  which 
caniiot  be  recognized  too  early  in  ones  practice,  is 
that  psychic  forces  are  at  work;  and  that,  if  we 
avail  ourselves  of  their  aid,  the  results  of  treat- 
ment are  likely  to  be  satisfying. 

Too  Much  Sur§:ery. 

But  now  I  want  to  postulate 
that  there  is  incontinent  haste  in  the  adoption  of 
surgical  measures.  The  pendulum  has  swung 
too  far.  It  would  not  matter  so  much  were 
not  the  consequences  often  disastrous  to  both 
health  and  life.  But  life  is  now  jeoparded  on 
the  slightest  pretext ;  and  many  lives  are  ruthless- 
ly sacrificed  to  avarice  and  ambition. 

Not  long  ago  an  eminent  operator,  in  a  paper 
presented  to  a  State  society,  recommended  a 
certain  procedure  of  a  major  character  as  a  cure 
for  ailments  presenting  typical  surgical  aspects, 
and  alluded  to  it  as  "almost  without  danger." 

In  reply  to  a  question  concerning  the  mortality 
in  his  first  hundred  cases,  which  constituted  the 
basis  of  his  recommendations,  he  admitted  a  loss 
of  six. 

To  be  sure  six  per  cent,  does  not  seem  like  a 
heavy  loss  when  we  are  operating  for  grave  sur- 
gical conditions;  but  in  this  instance  the  ailments 


46  PRESENT    STATUS    OF    MEDICINE. 

were  nearly  all  of  a  subjective  type.  If  the  mor- 
tality attending  travel  between  New  York  and 
Chicago  amounted  to  six  in  every  hundred 
travel  would  certainly  be  interdicted  by  law,  as  it 
would  be  said  to  constitute  wholesale  butchery. 

This  same  operator,  in  a  quiet  conversation 
after  the  meeting,  said  to  me:  "I  don't  suppose, 
Doctor  Leavitt,  that  I  value  human  life  as  highly 
as  you  do." 

Too  Little  Discrimination. 

The  faults  I  have  to  find 
with  modern  surgery  are  (1)  its  prevalence  and 
(2)  its  lack  of  sober  discrimination  between  sim- 
ple and  grave  procedures. 

I  insist  that  major  surgery  should  be  resorted 
to  for  only  those  ailments  that  assume  grave 
characters  and  will  not  yield  to  milder  measures. 
But  the  plea  is  that  one  might  as  well  be  dead  as 
ill,  and  with  this  the  surgeon  justifies  his  as- 
sumption of  the  role  of  contingent  executioner. 

With  the  author,  surgery  is  a  chosen  line  of 
work,  and  he  would  love  to  do  more  of  it,  but  he 
cannot  accede  to  jeopardy  of  life  on  any  but  the 
best  pretexts.  I  hope  this  will  not  be  taken  to 
represent  a  Pharisaical  spirit.  I  only  mean  to 
say  that  it  is  not  fair  to  the  confiding  patient  to 
subject  him  to  risk  of  life  for  the  relief  of 
troubles  that  may  be  cured  in  some  other  way. 


IV. 


The  Present  Status  of  Medicine 

(continued) 


(47) 


"When  the  Spartan  son  complained  that  his  sword  was 
too   short,  his    father  said:  'Add    a  step  to  it,  my   son." 

—Leavitt. 

■'If  I  were  fishing  in  a  trout  hole,  and  failed  for  long  to  get 
trout,  I  would  either  get  new  bait  or  lind  a  new  hole  '' 

—Sam  Jones. 

"It  has  been  said  that  the  world  is  full  of  fools  who  are 
trying  to  imitate  other  fools.  Whatever  you  attempt,  be 
yourself,  think  your  own  thoughts,  and  make  up  your  mind 
that  all  you  do  in  the  world  shall  be  your  own — entirely 
your  own." 


(48) 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  PRESENT  STATUS  OF  MEDICINE— Cowtinued. 

Ordinary  Methods 

Too  Perfunctory.  ,     ,      ,        ,.    , 

Modern  methods  of  medical  prac- 
tice are  not  well  calculated  to  obtain  satisfactory 
results.     They  are  of  a  character  too  routine  and 
superficial.     The  physician  in  general   practice 
makes  his  rounds  among  many  patients,  allowing 
but  a  few  minutes  to  each,  and  is  unable  to  give 
much  serious  thought  to  a  particular  case,  no 
matter  how  desperate.     He   enters,  hastily  re- 
views the  symptoms  and  after  making  a  new  pre- 
scription, suggested,  it  may  be,  by  a  trivial  cir- 
cumstance or  a  temporary  appearance,  leaves  the 
patient  to  battle  with  the  disease,  often  handi- 
capped by  the  depressing  effects  of  the  wrongly 
chosen  remedy  itself.     It  were  far  better  to  make 
fewer  and  longer  visits  so  that  the  true  bent  and 
tendency  of  the  symptoms  may  be  learned  and 
that  the  patient  may  have  time  to  obtain   the 
salutary  effect  of  the  doctor's  personality,  which 
in  the  case  of  a  true  healer  counts  for  much. 

The  authorities  have  recently  indicted  a  Men- 
tal Science  healer  for  fraud  because  it  was  found 
that  she  had  so  many  patients  that  there  was  not 
time  in  the  twenty-four  hours  for  each  to  receive 
an  absent  treatment  from  her.  The  busy  prac- 
titioner of  medicine  might  be  almost  as  justly 
accused  of  fraud  for  pretending  to  give  adequate 
attention  to  his  large  list  of  patients. 

(W) 


50  PRESENT    STATUS    OF    MEDICINE. 

The  methods  of  preserving  and  regaining 
health  have  not  yet  received  due  attention, 
though  America  has  a  hundred  thousand  phy- 
sicians. 

Physicians  Are  Underpaid. 

There  is  no  question  that 
the  medical  practitioner  is  underpaid  for  his  serv- 
ices. Were  his  fees  larger  he  could  restrict  the 
number  of  patients  accepted  and  so  give  to  each 
more  acceptable  and  efficient  service. 

To  make  a  satisfactory  visit  one  should  be 
able  to  give  variety  to  one's  methods  and  so  to 
arrange  the  interview  that  mental  concentration 
could  be  given  a  better  opportunity  to  produce 
its  curative  effects.  The  riveted  attention  of  the 
patient  cannot  be  secured  in  a  moment,  nor  can 
the  mind  of  the  physician  be  at  once  set  upon 
the  case  in  hand. 

This,  however,  is  not  the  place  to  pursue  this 
topic  further.     It  will  be  taken  up  in  Part  II. 

Service  Wrougfht 
by  Homeopathy. 

The  man  Hahnemann  did  a  great 
service  in  showing  not  only  the  needlessness  of 
the  massive  dosing  and  the  free  bloodletting  of 
his  day,  but  the  positive  harm  that  they  were 
doing.  Even  those  who  are  disposed  to  min- 
imize the  effect  of  his  teaching  are  willing  to 
admit  that  the  results  of  his  practice  were  an  im- 
provement on  the  results  being  obtained  from 
the  crude  methods  then  in  vogue. 

His  was  a  process  of  refining  and  softening 
which  marked  an  onward  step  in  the  evolution- 
ary movement  and  better  prepared  both  the  pro- 


PSYCHIC  EFFECT  OF  HOMEOPATHY.  51 

fession  and  the  laity  for  the  still  more  subtle 
methods  now  coming  in.  The  gross  thought  of 
the  time  could  not  tolerate  the  refinement  of 
therapeutics  that  he  proposed.  It  was  spurned 
and  Hahnemann  himself  was  subjected  to  indig- 
nity. Because  of  persecution  he  was  obliged  to 
forsake  his  home  city,  which,  be  it  added,  has 
since  publicly  acknowledged  itself  greatly  hon- 
ored by  his  former  citizenship. 

Psychic  Effect  of  Homeo- 
pathic    Treatment. 

Though  educated  in  a 
homeopathic  school  and  still  holding  the  law  of 
simila  similibzis  curenttLr  as  a  valuable  thera- 
peutic discovery,  I  am  not  ready  to  contend  that 
homeopathic  remedies  per  se  possess  the  won- 
derful curative  powers  by  many  enthusiasts  at- 
tributed to  them.  Much  of  the  advantage  shown 
by  the  practitioners  of  those  early  days  over  the 
votaries  of  the  dominant  school  was  fairly  at- 
tributable (1)  to  the  harmless  dosage  and  (2)  to 
psychic  impression.  Hahnemann  himself  was 
astonished  at  the  apparent  efficacy  of  his  atten- 
uated remedies  and,  philosopher  that  he  was, 
was  led  to  attribute  to  them  an  occult — a 
"spiritual" — power  which  he  believed  to  be  de- 
veloped by  his  processes  of  trituration  and  suc- 
cussion. 

It  may  be  asked  why  the  homeopathic  meth- 
ods should  carry  with  them  peculiar  psychic  en- 
ergy. The  reason  should  be  evident  to  every 
one  familiar  with  the  theory  of  suggestive  thera- 
peutics. 

There  was,  first,  their  newness  and  novelty  to 
attract  and  hold  attention.     A  large  part  of  the 


52  PRESEXT    STATUS    OF    MEDICINE. 

therapeutist's  work  is  done  when  he  is  able  to 
rivet  his  patient's  attention. 

There  was,  secondly,  the  mystery  in  which  the 
curative  phenomena  were  enshrouded,  which  to 
the  prevailing  superstition  of  the  times  partook 
of  the  mystery  of  the  infinite. 

There  were  also  the  peculiar  methods  of  clin- 
ical inquiry,  full  of  detail,  with  a  record  of  each 
symptom,  to  still  further  impress. 

There  was  the  announcement,  after  careful 
study,  of  the  alleged  siinilhnum  of  the  case  to 
give  assurance. 

And,  finally,  there  was  the  unwavering  faith  of 
those  early  disciples  of  Hahnemann  in  the 
efficiency  of  their  remedies  to  complete  the  con- 
viction and  fully  estabHsh  the  conditions  of  psy- 
chic cure. 

And  now  I  may  be  allowed  to  add  what  may 
be  extremely  distasteful  to  many  of  my  con- 
freres, that  the  reason  why  homeopathic  cures  are 
7iot  now  so  7i2nnero2is  or  startling  in  the  practice 
of  individual  physicians  of  the  homeopathic  school 
is  found  in  the  elimination  of  the  machinery  for 
psychic  impression,  the  several  parts  of  which  I 
have  just  listed. 

Revulsion  from   Old  The- 
ories   Concerning:    Matter. 

There  is  no  doubt  that 
the  revulsion  taking  place  from  the  old  theories 
concerning  matter  is  having  its  effect  on  medical 
opinions.  Atoms  were  formerly  supposed  to  be 
the  smallest  particles  into  which  matter  could  be 
divided.  Matter  itself  was  held  to  be  an  entity. 
We  have  been  told  by  scientists  that  the  atoms 
representing    the    constituents   of    matter    are 


REVULSION  FROM  OLD  METHODS.  53 

nothing  but  vortex  rings  of  ether.  At  last  it  has 
been  found  that  even  atoms  are  divisible  into 
still  smaller  units,  each  of  those  of  the  new  sub- 
stance, radium,  containing  150,000  of  them, 
with  each  unit,  or  ion,  rotating  at  tremendous 
speed.  It  is  said  that  11,200  of  such  ions  in 
each  atom  would  produce  oxygen  and  137,000  of 
them  gold. 

Prof.  Crooks  says  "that  not  only  are  the 
atoms  apparently  going  to  pieces,  but  the 
masses  of  molecules  probably  dissolve  themselves 
into  the  ether  waves  which  fill  the  universe  or 
into  electrical  energy.  TJnis  we  stand  on  the 
border  line  where  matter  and  force  pass  into  each 
other.'' 

Thus  the  material  and  the  spiritual  have  so 
changed  our  concepts  of  the  cosmos  and  its 
forces  that  we  are  prepared  to  accept  the  con- 
stituent unity  of  all  things.  The  power  that 
causes  the  protoplasmic  cell  to  develop  into  the 
human  form  is  the  same  power  that  enables  us  to 
realize  our  existence.  The  energy  seen  in  the 
majesty  of  a  tornado  is  the  same  that  exhales  in 
the  perfume  of  the  flower  and  that  gives  to  all 
pleasure  its  zest. 

The  true  etiology  of  disease  will  be  found  to 
lie  in  the  subtle  and  insidious  action  of  unseen 
forces,  operating  upon  the  subconscious  nature; 
and  the  efficient  cure  will  be  recognized,  not  so 
much  in  the  remedy  that  acts  according  to  the 
laws  of  physics  as  that  which  reaches  deeper, 
having  its  tap  root  in  the  metaphysical  sphere. 

Hitherto  we  have  been  dealing  with  secondary 
causes.  We  shall  now  be  led  to  recognize  and 
consider  first  causes. 


54  PRESENT   STATUS    OF    MEDICINE. 


Unity  of  All  Things. 

Emerson  foreshadowed  a  truth 
which  is  becoming  recognized,  the  effect  of 
which  on  medicine  is  bound  to  be  tremendous. 
I  quote: 

**  There  is  one  mind  common  to  all  individual  men. 
Every  man  is  an  inlet  to  the  same  and  to  all  of  the 
same.  What  Plato  thought,  he  may  think;  what  a 
saint  has  felt,  he  may  feel;  who  hath  access  to  the  Uni- 
versal Mind  is  a  party  to  all  that  is  or  can  be  done,  for 
this  is  the  only  sovereign  agent.  Of  this  Universal 
Mind  each  individual  is  one  or  more  incarnation." 


V. 


New  Methods 


(55) 


"Not  at  all  times  is  everything  equally  ripe  for  inqniry. 
There  is  a  phase,  or  it  may  be  a  fashion,  even  in  science. 
I  spoke  of  geographical  explorntion  as  the  feature  of 
Elizabeth's  time.  Astronomical  inquiry  succeeded  it. 
Optics  and  Chemistry  were  the  dominating  sciences  of 
the  early  part  of  the  nineteenth  century,  Heat  and  Geol- 
ogy of  the  middle,  Electricity  and  Biology  of  the  latter 
portion.  Not  yet  has  our  branch  of  Psychology  had  its 
phase  of  popularity;  nor  am  I  anxious  that  it  should  be 
universally  fashionable.  It  is  a  subject  of  special  interest 
and  therefore  perhaps  of  special  danger.  In  that  respect 
it  is  like  other  studies  of  the  operations  of  mind,  like  a 
scientific  enumeration  of  the  phenomena  of  religion,  for 
instance,  like  the  study  of  anything  which  in  its  early 
stages  looks  mysterious  and  iucomprehensible.  Training 
and  some  admixture  of  other  studies  are  necessary  for  its 
healthy  investipration.  The  day  will  come  when  the  science 
will  put  off  its  foggy  aspect,  bewildering  to  the  novice,  and 
become  easier  for  the  less  well-balanced  and  more  ordi- 
narily-equipped explorer.  _  At  present  it  is  like  a  mountain 
shrouded  in  mist  whose  sides  oiler  but  little  secure  foot- 
hold, where  climbing,  though  possible,  is  difficult  and 
dangerous."— Sir  Oliver  Lodge. 

'Old  beliefs,  while  they  have  a  right  to  good  standing,  have 
no  right  to  exemption  from  investigation.  Nor  have  they 
a  right  to  deny  the  value  of  new  concepts  without  ad- 
equate inquiry  and  experiment."— ieauitt. 


(56) 


CHAPTER  V. 

NEW    METHODS. 

Upward  and  Onward  Trend. 

The  trend  of  events  is 
continually  onwards.  Every  experience  that 
comes  into  an  individual  life  should  be  looked 
upon  as  the  bearer  of  some  message  to  that  in- 
dividual soul.  It  is  a  harbinger  of  peace.  Like- 
wise every  event  is  but  a  link  in  the  chain  of  di- 
vine purpose  that  binds  humanity  to  higher 
ideals  and  more  elaborate  unfoldment. 

The  course  is  onward,  ever  onward. 

Look  at  the  marvelous  discoveries  being  made 
in  physics  and  the  equally  wonderful  adaptation 
of  forces  to  the  accomplishment  of  the  world's 
work.  Notice  also,  if  you  will,  that  man  is  con- 
tinually moving  into  what  was  once  regarded  as 
the  terra  incognitay  the  vast  undiscovered,  the 
deeply  mysterious  phenomena  of  nature  which  at 
one  time,  to  the  undeveloped  mind,  appeared  to 
be  the  very  mantle  of  Deity. 

Movement  Too  Slow. 

As  already  pointed  out,  there 
has  been  an  equal  advance  toward  an  appreci- 
ation of  the  meaning  of  phenomena  pertaining  to 
medical  science  and  a  moderate  utilization  of  such 
knowledge  by  therapeutics.  But,  somehow,  reg- 
ular medicine  appears  to  have  been  slower  to 
avail  itself  of  the  discoveries  and  adaptations 
made  in  collateral  sciences  than  it  should  have 

(57) 


58  SOME    NEW    METHODS. 

been.  Wrapped  in  its  robes  of  pride  and  self- 
sufficiency  it  has  said,  in  effect,  if  not  in  precise 
terms:  "I  ask  no  extrinsic  aid.  I  can  differen- 
tiate and  prognosticate  even  if  I  cannot  cure." 
And  meanwhile  people  have  been  dying  who 
might  have  been  saved  and  a  wail  of  woe  has 
risen  to  the  ears  of  Heaven. 

I  quote  from  an  editorial  which  appeared  in  a 
popular  and  well-conducted  medical  journal  of 
the  dominant  school  a  few  months  ago: 
"  Herbert  Spencer  says  that  'Life  is  adjustment,  and 
as  is  the  degree  of  life  so  is  the  degree  of  adjustment.' 
We  cease  to  live  as  soon  as  we  cease  to  be  able  to  ad- 
just ourselves  to  the  destructive  forces  that  constantly 
surround  us.  The  physician's  function  is  to  direct  the 
internal  adjustment  of  the  body  so  as  to  overcome,  or 
pass  safely,  dangers  to  life  that  occur  in  the  course  of 
disease.  Disease  is  a  battle  between  the  living  cells  of 
the  body  and  various  destructive  agencies.  The  want 
of  adjustment  may  mean  the  death  of  the  patient.  On 
the  doctor's  skill  and  knowledge  often  depends  the  issue 
of  life  or  death.  It  is  a  most  agonizing  sight  to  see 
people  of  all  ages  and  stations  in  life  die  around  us  in 
multitudes  every  day  and  no  one  able  to  save  them. 
If  we  could  only  assist  the  body  to  make  the  proper  degree  of 
adjustment,  all  these  precious  lives  might  be  saved.  All 
so-called  incurable  diseases  are  only  so  because  human 
knowledge  has  not  advanced  far  enough  to  see  how  to 
make  the  proper  adjustment.  Every  death  of  child  or 
adult  that  occurs  from  disease,  where  the  usual  lines  of  treat- 
ment have  been  pursued,  is  evidence  of  the  woeful  ignorance 
of  our  age.  If  enough  were  known  to  be  able  to  make 
the  ofoper  adjustment  at  the  proper  time  such  deaths 
could  not  occur.  When  the  doctor  sits  helplessly  by 
and  day  by  day  sees  the  life  of  his  patient  steadily 
losing  its  grip  upon  the  various  functions  of  the  body, 
knowing  full  well  that  it  is  only  the  matter  of  a  few  days 
or  a  few  hours  when  all  will  be  over,  how  often  will  he 
ponder  as  to  whom  to  blame  for  the  condition  of  impo- 
tence in  which  he  finds  himself?  The  ignorant  masses 
blame  him  whenever  such  scenes  occur.     The  more  in- 


INCENTIVE  TO  ADOPT  NEW    METHODS.  59 


telligent,  feeling  that  he  has  done  his  best,  exonerate 
him  from  all  blame  and  seldom  ask  themselves  whether 
or  not  blame  should  be  attached  somewhere." 

The  possibilities  of  cure  are  undoubtedly 
great.  But  the  physician  and  the  scientist  find 
the  door  of  achievement  wide  open  before  them 
and  the  wail  of  humanity  bids  them  enter.  Old 
methods  have  certainly  shown  themselves  to  be 
inadequate.  Then  why  not,  in  the  name  of  all 
that  is  good,  tack  to  them,  or  substitute  for  them, 
other  methods  which  bear  the  credentials  of 
reason  and  experience,  and  make  tentative  use  of 
them? 

Abundant  Incentives  to  Study 
and   Adopt   New   Methods. 

'Tf  we  could  only  assist 
the  body  to  make  the  proper  degree  of  adjust- 
ment all  these  precious  lives  might  be  saved," 
very  truthfully  says  our  editor.  Not  only  could 
disease  thus  be  cured,  but  thus,  pre-eminently, 
could  disease  be  prevented. 

One  disease  prevented  is  worth  ten  cured. 

The  great  English  barrister,  Erskine,  at  an 
early  stage  of  his  splendid  career,  struggHng 
with  poverty  but  cherishing  a  towering  ambition, 
took  a  most  audacious  stand  before  the  court  in 
the  trial  of  an  important  case  in  which  he  was  en- 
gaged as  a  mere  assistant,  outranking  his  associ- 
ates in  the  force  and  ardor  of  his  plea  and  win- 
ning in  the  face  of  stout  opposition.  On  being 
subsequently  questioned  by  a  friend  as  to  the 
tremendous  incentive  that  must  have  been  behind 
his  action  he  declared  that  he  felt  the  clutch  of 
his  children's  hands  at  the  tails  of  his  coat  as 
he  plead,  and  heard  their  piteous  cry  for  bread. 


60  SOME    KEW    METHODS. 

A  similar  incentive  should  move  the  physician 
to  provide  the  means  of  relief  for  suffering  hu- 
manity. He  cannot  afford  to  stand  complacent- 
ly on  his  dignity,  saying  to  those  who  point  out 
possible  aid: 

•  'I  do  not  like  its  source  and  I  do  not  believe 
the  testimony  concerning  its  virtues. " 

Let  him  make  a  systematic  investigation  and  a 
test  of  the  claims,  for  only  in  this  way  can  the 
value  of  a  method  be  determined. 

Principles  of  the  New  Methods. 

The  new  methods  in- 
volve certain  principles  that  may  be  expressed  in 
the  propositions  which  follow. 

First:  That  man  is  endowed  with  a  dual 
mind,  termed  objective  and  subjective,  conscious 
and  unconscious  (or  subconscious). 

Second:  That  the  objective  mind  is  under 
control  of  the  volition  and  gives  conscious  di- 
rection to  human  energies. 

Third:  That  the  subjective  mind  has  control 
of  the  organic  functions,  regulates  the  vital 
action,  is  the  storehouse  of  energy,  has  compre- 
hensive and  accurate  memory,  is  the  repository  of 
all  habits  and  of  automatic  action  in  general.  It 
is  understood  also  to  possess  powers  peculiar  to 
itself,  such  as  thought-transferrence  and  clair- 
voyance and  is  supposed  to  be  the  side  of  mind 
which  lies  open  toward  the  Universal  or  Infinite. 

Fourth:  That  the  subjective  mind  is  amen- 
able to  instruction  and  direction  by  the  objective 
mind,  not  only  of  the  subject  but  of  others. 
This  effect  is  supposed  to  be  wrought  through 
the  power  of  conscious  will.  The  method  of 
conveying  the  impression  is  commonly  termed 


PRINCIPLES  OF  NEW  METHODS.  61 


suggestion.  When  applied  to  self  it  is  auto- 
suggestion. Suggestion  is  given  through  (1)  one 
or  more  of  the  five  senses  or  through  (2)  the 
mere  power  of  concentrated  thought.  Distance 
is  supposed  to  be  no  bar  to  thought  suggestion. 

Fifth:  That  the  subjective  mind,  not  being 
able  to  carry  on  inductive  reasoning,  but  being 
capable  of  superb  deductive  action,  is  peculiarly 
susceptible  to  impressions,  and  by  proper  man- 
agement can  be  made  an  obedient  servant. 

Sixth:  That  all  disease  has  its  origin  in  the 
mind,  the  subjective  taking  its  cue  from  its  en- 
vironment, from  the  fears,  the  constitutional 
bent,  the  impressions  received  from  other  minds, 
misinterpreted  sensations,  etc. 

Seventh:  That  prevention  of  disease  consists 
in  keeping  the  subjective  mind  under  the  power 
of  wholesome  suggestion;  and  that  the  cure  of 
disease  consists  in  the  use  of  suggestions  running 
counter  to  disease  and  the  establishment  of  sub- 
conscious thoughts  of  health,  inculcated  by 
conscious  volition. 

These  are  the  basic  principles  of  all  methods  of 
psychic  cure,  though  not  always  acknowledged 
or  understood  by  those  who  practice  them.  The 
systematic  adaptation  of  them  to  medical  prac- 
tice is  what  I  hope  herein  to  accomplish. 


•'  Yon  can  no  more  filter  your  mind  into  purity  than  yon 
can  compress  it  into  calmness ;  you  must  keep  it  i>ure  if 
you  would  have  it  pure,  and  throw  no  stone  into  it  if  you 
would  have  it  quiet."— Biw/cm. 


(62) 


VI. 


New  Methods  in  Detail 


(63) 


"If  any  scientific  society  is  worthy  of  enconragement  and 
support  it  sliould  surely  bo  this.  If  there  is  any  object 
worthy  the  patient  and  continued  attention  of  humanity, 
it  is  surely  these  great  and  pressing  problems  of  whence, 
what  and  whither,  that  have  occupied  the  attention  oif 
Prophet  and  Philosopher  since  time  was.  The  discovery 
of  a  new  star,  or  of  a  marking  on  Mars,  or  of  a  new  element, 
or  of  a  new  extinct  animal  or  plant,  is  interesting:  surely 
the  discovery  of  a  new  human  faculty  is  interesting,  too. 
Already  the  discovery  of  'telepathy'  constitutes  the  first- 
fruits  of  this  society's  work,  and  it  has  laid  the  way  open 
to  the  discovery  of  much  more.  Its  aim  is  nothing  less 
than  the  investigation  and  better  comprehension  of  human 
facu  ty,  human  personality  and  human  destiny."— Sir 
Oliver  Lodge,  Pres.  of  the  Psychic  Research  Society.  Pres- 
idential address  Jan.  30th  last. 

"The  evidence  that  the  brain  cortex  regulates  absorption, 
secretion,  vascular  tension  and  the  anabolic  and  katabolic 
process  in  the  cells  of  the  tissues  may  now  be  regarded  as 
complete.  Sores  in  many  melancholies  will  not  heal. 
Gland  and  lung  tissue  in  idiots  and  dements  are  unable  to 
resist  the  atti'.cks  of  the  tubercle  bacillus,  so  that  two- 
thirds  of  our  idiots  and  one-third  of  our  dements  die  of  tu- 
bercular diseases."— Pro/.  Cloiiston. 

"A  great  many  so-called  illnesses  are  probably  the  result  of 
boredom — that  is,  lack  of  some  mental  stimulus  sufficiently 
strong  to  overcome  the  frequent  disquieting  symptoms  to 
which  humanity  is  heir  and  which  undoubtedly  can  often 
be  converted  into  bona  fide  ailments  by  mental  suggestion. 
This  is  certainly  true  of  three-fourths  of  my  lady's  indispo- 
sitions, which  disappear  as  if  by  magic  under  the  skillful 
and  tactful  physician  who  combines  a  knowledee  of  the 
world  with  the  skill  of  an  iEsculapius."— iV.  Y.  Tribune. 


(64) 


CHAPTER  VI. 

NEW  METHODS  IN  DETAIL. 

Duality  of  Mind. 

In  claiming  for  man  a  dual  mind  it 
matters  little  whether  the  duality  be  regarded  in 
the  sense  of  separate  minds  or  merely  as  sepa- 
rate departments  or  phases  of  mind.  So  far  as 
the  brain  and  nervous  system  are  concerned  it  is 
not  assumed,  by  any  one  competent  to  hold  an 
opinion,  that  there  is  an  exact  division,  though 
it  appears  to  be  probable  that  the  cerebrum  is 
the  particular  part  of  the  brain  which  has  most 
to  do  with  conscious  hfe  and  thought.  That 
conscious  action  utilizes  every  part  of  the  brain 
and  nervous  system  is  quite  probable.  I  sup- 
pose it  may  be  justly  added  that  consciousness 
itself  is  in  a  measure  dependent  on  the  integrity 
of  certain  parts  usually  regarded  as  belonging  to 
the  unconscious. 

"  Certain  mental  feelings  seem  connected  with  differ- 
ent parts  of  the  body — love  with  the  heart  and  melan- 
choly with  the  liver,  while  to  arrive  at  the  highest 
point  of  mental  insight  there  has  always  been  a  ten- 
dency to  direct  the  thoughts  to  the  pit  of  the  stomach, 
or  just  above  the  navel;  here  lies  the  great  solar  plexus, 
the  chief  center  of  the  sympathetic  system.  Many 
feelings  are  connected  with  this  region,  and  we  speak  of 
a  sickening  story,  sickening  thoughts,  etc.  The  Bible 
speaks  of  'bowels  of  mercies,'  'straitened  in  your 
own  bowels,'  etc." — Schofield. 

The  new  methods,  it  will  be  understood,  re- 
ject the  suggestion  offered  by  some,  that  mind 

3  (65) 


66  NEW    METHODS    IN    DETAIL. 

can  be  interpreted  in  terms  of  matter.  The 
brain  and  nervous  systems  are  regarded  as 
media  merely,  mind  itself  being  independent, 
and  human  mind  but  "an  inlet"  of  the  Univer- 
sal Mind. 

CON^CtOUSNESS 


^iz^z^^^^^^^s^^^z^ 


iiiiiiiiF''^'^'""'""" 


UfXiKIUillurrr.^^llllIlid 

Figure  i.    A  Schematic  Representation  of  the  Dual  Mind. 

In  this  view  I  do  not  need  to  say  they  are 
sustained  by  the  best  authorities. 
*'  Here,  indeed,  we  arrive  at  a  barrier,"  remarks  Herbert 
Spencer,  "which  needs  to  be  perpetually  pointed  out 
alike  to  those  who  seek  materialistic  explanations  of 
mental  phenomena  and  to  those  who  are  alarmed  lest 
such  explanations  may  be  found.  The  last  class  prove 
by  their  fears  almost  as  much  as  the  first  prove  by 
their  hope,  that  they  believe  that  mind  may  possibly  be 
interpreted  in  terms  of  matter,  whereas 
there  is  not  the  remotest  possibility  of  so  interpreting  it. 
For  the  concept  we  form  of  matter  is  but  the  symbol  of 
some  form  of  power  absolutely  and  forever  unknown  to 
us.  Mind  is  also  unknowable,  and  the  simplest  form 
under  which  we  can  think  of  its  substance  is  but  a  sym- 
bol of  something  that  can  never  be  rendered  into 
thought.  Nevertheless,  we  are  compelled  to  choose  be- 
tween translating  mental  phenomena  into  physical  phe- 
nomena or  of  translating  physical  phenomena  into  men- 
tal phenomena — the  latter  alternative  would  seem  the 
more  acceptable." 

Relations  of  Cerebral  Structures 
to   the   Two   Phases   of  Mind. 

A  word  more  con- 
cerning the  brain  structure  in  its  relation  to  con- 
scious and  unconscious  mentation,  and  then  we 


NERVOUS   STRUCTURES.  67 


shall  turn  to  other  interesting  features  of  the 
subject. 

"The  cortex  is  the  seat  of  conscious  sensation,  though 
we  are  by  no  means  conscious  of  all  that  takes  place 
even  in  the  cortex;  for  innumerable  sensations  may,  and 
probably  do,  continually  reach  it,  of  which  we  are 
wholly  or  partially  unconscious;  in  many  cases,  of  course, 
this  is  accounted  for  by  non-attention.  On  the  other 
hand,  it  would  appear  from  recent  researches  that  it  is 
not  possible  to  be  conscious  of  any  currents  that  do 
not  reach  the  surface  of  the  brain." 

It  is  unnecessary  for  me  to  add  that  duality  of 
mind  is  by  no  means  a  new  theory ;  on  the  con- 
trary, it  formed  an  essential  feature  of  certain 
ancient  philosophies. 

Anatomy  and  Physiology 
of  the  Nervous  Structures. 

Without  purposing  to  en- 
ter into  a  minute  account  of  the  physical  struct- 
ures I  want  merely  to  call  attention  to  the  rec- 
ognized fact  that  every  superior  being  is  made 
up  of  an  aggregation  of  cytods  and  cells.  In 
the  various  organs  these  minute  structures  are 
associated  in  purpose  and  endeavor  to  carry  on 
a  certain  definite  work,  and  it  is  true  that  their 
co-operation  for  a  specific  purpose  is  marvelous- 
ly  intelligent  and  efficient.  The  cytod  is  an 
atom  of  simple  plasson.  The  cell  proper  has 
been  differentiated  into  nucleus  and  proto- 
plasm. These  cells  have  become  differentiated 
with  special  reference  to  the  purpose  or  motif 
for  which  they  have  been  placed  in  the  organism 
and  their  various  and  associated  duties  have 
been"  clearly  and  definitely  assigned. 

What  strikes  the  student  of  physiology  and 
psychology  with  peculiar  force  is  the  phenomena 


68  NEW   METHODS    IN    DETAIL. 

associated  with  the  action  of  both  the  individual 
cells  and  the  several  groupings  of  them  in  par- 
ticular organs,  which  indicate  true  intelligence. 
Each  cell  has  its  peculiar  part  to  perform,  and, 
in  the  line  of  its  duty,  manifests  not  only  power 
of  choice,  but  also  memory  and  wonderful 
adaptation  of  means  to  the  accomplishment  of 
purpose. 

It  is  these  phenomena  characterizing  cell  life 
that  lead  biologists  to  regard  individual  cells  as 
distinct  organisms.  Quite  in  consonance,  then, 
with  the  views  of  evolution  now  held,  a  higher  an- 
imal may  be  regarded  as  truly  a  colony,  or,  better 
still,  a  confederacy  of  protozoans  (single-celled 
organisms).  *  'Every  one  of  the  cells  composing 
such  an  animal  has  retained  its  primitive  prop- 
erties, giving  them  a  higher  degree  of  perfec- 
tion by  division  of  labor  and  by  selection. " — Binet. 

In  the  associations  of  cells  constituting  organs, 
where  there  is  a  common  //^^/z/"  manifested  and 
an  invClligent  co-operation  to  accomplish  an  end, 
there  are  indications  of  a  ruHng  intelligence,  or 
central  power,  which  presides  over  the  organiza- 
tion and  is  responsible  for  co-ordinate  action. 

These  phenomena  have  drawn  from  Haeckel 
the  suggestion  that  each  organ  should  be  re- 
garded as  an  individual  (Techlology).  The  sev- 
eral organs,  taken  together,  may  then  well  be 
looked  upon  as  a  confederacy  under  a  central 
control,  constituting  an  individual  ego  in  mani- 
festation. 

Various    Designations 
of  Central  Intelligence. 

Scientists    may   differ   as   to 
the  proper  terminology  by  which  the  central  in- 


MEANS    OF    COMMUNICATION.  69 

telligence  should  be  designated;  but  no  one  de- 
nies its  existence  or  its  power  to  control  its  mill- 
ions of  subordinates.  Thus  it  has  been  called 
the  ' '  subjective  mind, "  the  '  'subconscious  mind, " 
the  "unconscious  mind,"  the  "secondary 
self,"  the  "subliminal  consciousness,"  the  "com- 
munal soul,"  the  "secondary  personality,"  etc., 
the  various  terms  employed  being  determined 
largely  by  the  point  of  view  from  which  the  sub- 
ject is  treated. 

**  Philosophers  may  differ  in  opinion  as  to  its  origin 
and  its  ultimate  destiny;  and  biologists  may  not  be  agreed 
as  to  just  what  it  is — that  is  to  say,  whether  it  is  the 
sum  of  all  the  intelligences  of  which  the  body  is  com- 
posed or  whether  it  is  an  independent  entity  capable  of 
surviving  the  dissolution  of  the  confederacy  which  it 
controls. 

"  It  is,  however,  a  work  of  superrogation  to  dwell  upon 
the  obvious  fact  that  a  confederation  of  intelligences, 
organized  for  a  specific  purpose,  must  act  in  subordi- 
nation to  some  central  power  or  authority.  Such  a 
power  is  as  much  a  biological  necessity  as  an  executive 
officer  is  a  political  necessity  to  a  state  or  nation." 

Means  of  Communication 
Between  the  Several  Parts. 

I  have  finally  to  call  at- 
tention to  the  means  of  communication  between 
the  several  parts  of  the  systems  thus  organ- 
ized in  order  to  complete  this  glance  at  what 
constitutes  the  framework  upon  which  the 
claims  of  the  new  methods  of  cure  are  based. 

First  of  all  we  should  remember  the  pos- 
sibility, elsewhere  mentioned,  of  communication 
in  an  effective  way  not  only  between  detached 
minds — more  especially  between  subjective  and 
subjective — but  also  between  the  great  central 
mind  and  the  lesser  minds  of  the  body,  through 


70  NEW    METHODS    IN   DETAIL. 

the  universal  ether  (i.  e.,  independently  of  the 
nervous  system).  But  at  present  this  possibiHty 
stands,  in  the  minds  of  most  people,  as  a  mere 
hypotheses,  as  stood  wireless  telegraphy  a  dec- 
ade ago. 

How  far  the  ordinary  cells,  as  well  as  the  cells 
differentiated  for  specific  purposes  other  than 
mere  transmission  of  stimuli,  are  capable  of  act- 
ing in  a  vicarious  manner  in  emergencies  is  not 
yet  known. 

Of  course  the  nerves  are  the  chief,  and  the 
most  facile,  media  of  communication,  and  it  is  by 
virtue  of  the  facilities  for  communication  thus 
afforded  that  the  several  parts  of  the  body  are 
kept  in  co-ordination. 

As  to  the  precise  mode  of  action  involved  in 
the  production  of  the  phenomena  of  thought 
transmission  from  one  part  of  the  system  to  an- 
other we  have  little  more  than  theory  to  offer, 
though  the  hypothesis  put  forth  appeals  very 
strongly  to  reason.  A  glance  at  this  and  then 
we  shall  proceed  with  the  more  definite  purpose 
of  our  study. 

In  their  study  of  brain  anatomy  during  the 
last  decade  scientists  have  arrived  at  a  solution 


FiGTJEB  2.    Pyramidal  Nerve  Cells  Found  Chiefly  in  the  Brain.— afcS^endricfc 


NERVOUS  STRUCTURES. 


71 


of  many  mental  phenomena  which  before  had 
greatly  puzzled  them.  The  essay  of  Prof. 
Raymon  y  Cajal  of  Spain,  which  was  awarded 
the  prize  of  the  International  Medical  Congress 
a  few  years  ago,  is  among  the  most  important 
contributions  to  our  knowledge  of  brain  anatomy 
and  physiology.  Prof.  Cajal  showed  that  the 
principal  elements  in  brain  tissue  are  nerve  cells, 
and  that  each  cell  is  a  distinct  entity.  Its 
branches,    or    filaments,    form    temporary   con- 


PlGTTRE  3.  Prom  a  piece  of  Spinal  Cord.  4  and  B,  ganglion  cells  ;D,  axis 
cylinder ;  p,  protoplasmic  process ;  C,  uouroglia  cells.— Ranvier  from  Edinger, 
Am.  Ed. 


72  NEW    METHODS   IN   DETAIL. 

nections  with  contiguous  cells,  and  in  this  way 
a  continuous  circuit  is  provided.  The  con- 
struction and  mechanism  are  the  same  through- 
out brain  and  nerve  tissue.  Waldeyer  calls 
these  cells  "neurons,"  and  his  theory  of  nerve 
anatomy  and  physiology  has  been  generally 
adopted. 

Cajal  also  mentions  certain  cells  which  lie  be- 
tween the  neurons,  and  which,  under  the  action 
of  volition,  so  change  their  form  as  to  act  as  in- 
hibitors of  nerve  impulses. 

IN  THE  LIGHT  OF  THIS  NEURON  THEORY  OF  THE 
NERVOUS  SYSTEM  "WE  HAVE  THE  COMPLETION  OF  A 
MOST  SATISFACTORY  BASIS  FOR  THE  PSYCHOLOGICAL 
SYSTEM  OF  CURE  TO  WHICH  THIS  WORK  IS  INTENDED 
TO  CALL  ATTENTION. 

Cardinal  Features 
of   the    Brain. 

As  I  am  now  addressing  medical 
men  it  is  unnecessary  for  me  to  do  more  than 
allude  to  the  cardinal  features  of  the  brain, 
spinal  cord  and  the  lesser  ganglia,  which  con- 
stitute the  essentials  of  the  great  nervous  system. 
This  I  shall  do  as  expeditiously  as  is  consistent 
with  my  purpose. 

Mental  facts  cannot  be  properly  studied  apart 
from  the  physical  environment  of  which  they 
take  cognizance.  And  yet  we  are  to  remember 
as  we  study  the  physical  that  the  conviction  is 
general,  even  among  the  most  materialistic,  that 
me7ital  life  is  essentially  teleologicaL 

Says  Prof.  James:  "The  brain  is  a  sort  of 
pons  asinorum  in  anatomy  until  one  gets  a  cer- 
tain general  conception  of  it  as  a  clew.  Then 
it  becomes  a  comparatively  simple  affair." 


CARDINAL  FEATURES  OF  THE  BRAIN.  73 

In  the  development  of  all  the  higher  verte- 
brates, the  cerebro-spinal  axis  is  formed  by  a 
hollow  tube  containing  fluid  and  terminated  in 
front  by  an  enlargement,  separated  by  trans- 
verse constrictions  into  three  cerebral  vesicles. 

The  middle  vesicle  in  the  process  of  develop- 
ment changes  least  of  all.  The  upper  walls 
thicken  into  the  corpora  quadri  gemina\  its  lower 
walls  become  the  crura;  and  its  cavity  is  con- 
verted into  the  Aquedtict  of  Sihntis. 

Changes  in  the  other  vesicles  are  more  pro- 
nounced. The  walls  of  the  posterior  vesicle 
thicken  to  form  the  cerebellum  above  the  pons 
varolii  below,  while  still  below  that  they  form 
the  medulla  oblongata.  From  the  anterior 
vesicle  are  formed  the  optic  thalami  and  the 
cerebral  hemispheres.  The  convolutions  are 
formed  from  the  walls  of  the  vesicle  in  such  a 
way  that  the  convoluted  surface  finally  comes  to 
enfold  and  cover  the  entire  cerebrum.  Connec- 
tion between  the  two  hemispheres  is  formed 
chiefly  by  means  of  the  optic  thalami  and  the 
transverse  fibers  at  the  corpus  callosum.  Just  in 
front  of  the  last-named  body  lies  the  corpus 
striatum. 

The  surface  of  the  convolutions  is  covered 
with  gray  matter  which  is  termed  cortex.  The 
cortex  has  been  called  by  Meynert  the  surface  of 
projection  for  every  muscle  and  every  sensitive 
point  of  the  body.  The  muscles  and  the  sensi- 
tive points  are  represented  each  by  a  cortical 
point,  a7id  the  brain  is  little  more  than  the  sutu 
of  all  these  cortical  points,  to  which,  on  the  77iental 
side,  as  m.any  sensations  and  ideas  correspond. 
"The  sensations  and  ideas  of  sensation  and  of 


74  NEW    METHODS    IN    DETAIL. 


motion  are,  in  turn,  the  elements  out  of  which 
the  mind  is  built." 

Physiologists  have  established  beyond  question 
that  the  central  convolutions,  on  either  side  of 


FiGUEB  4.    The  Primary  "Cerebral  Vesicles." 

the  Fissure  of  Rolando,  are  the  region  from 
which  all  the  motor  incitations  which  leave  the 
cortex  pass  out.  This  may  be  called  the  "motor 
zone." 

"The  highest  centers  probably  contain  nothing  but 
arrangements  for  representing  impressions  and  move- 
ments and  other  arrangements  for  coupling  the 
activity  of  these  arrangements  together.  Currents 
pouring  in  from  the  sense  organs  first  excite  some  ar- 
rangements, which  in  turn  excite  others,  until  at  last  a 
discharge  downwards  of  some  sort  occurs.  When  this 
is  once  grasped  there  remains  little  ground  for  asking 
whether  the  motor  zone  is  exclusively  motor,  or  sensa- 
tion as  v/e\\."— James. 

It  is  a  mere  glance,  but  what  has  been  given 
concerning  the  brain  will  probably  suffice  for  the 
purposes  of  this  work. 

Cardinal  Features  of 
the  Nervous  System. 

The  nervous  system  in  all 
vertebrated  animals  consists  of  two  distinct  por- 
tions— viz. :  the  cerebrospinal  and  the  sympathetic 
or  ganglionic- 


FEATURES  OF  THE  NERVOUS  SYSTEM.  75 


The  cerebro-spinal  system  includes  the  brain 
and     spinal  cord   and    the   cranial  and    spinal 

nerves.  i    •      r 

The  sympathetic  system  consists  of  a  cham  ot 
ganglia  connected  by  nervous  cords,  extending 
from  the  cranium  to  the  pelvis,  along  each  side 
of  the  vertebral  column,  and  from  which  nerves 
with    large    ganglionic  masses   proceed    to   the 
viscera  and  blood-vessels  in  the   cavity  of  the 
chest,  abdomen  and  pelvis.     It  has  been  called 
the  nervous  system  of  organic  life,  since  it  regu- 
lates, under  the  power  of  unconscious  will,   the 
due  performance  of  the  functions  of  organic  life. 
The  only  sympathetic  nerve  that  I  shall  men- 
tion,   and    the   most    important,    is    the    great 
sphlanchnic.       It   arises  from   the    fifth,     sixth, 
seventh,  eighth  and  ninth  thoracic  ganglia,  the 
roots  forming  a  large  round  cord  passing  down- 
wards   and    forwards,    piercing   the  diaphragm 
and   ending   in   the  semilunar  ganglion.     The 
semilunar  ganglia,  with  the  nerves  entering  and 
emerging  from  them,  combine  to  form  the  solar 
plexus,  which,  because  of  the  mass  of  nervous 
matter  that  it  embraces,    has  been  called   the 
abdominal  braifi. 

The  nervous  matter  of  various  parts,  like  that 
of  the  brain,  takes  on  two  distinct  forms,  thQvesi- 
cular  and  the  fibrous.  The  vesicular  matter  is 
gray  in  color  and  granular  in  texture,  is  well 
supplied  with  blood  and  contains  nucleated  nerve 
cells.  This  gray  matter  is  immediately  asso- 
ciated with  nervous  action  and  is  the  seat  in 
which  the  force  manifested  in  nervous  action 
originates.  It  is  fotind  only  in  the  nervous 
centers.  In  the  brain  it  lies  on  the  surface  of 
the  convolutions;   but  in  the  spinal  cord  it  lies 


76  NEW  METHODS  IN  DETAIL. 

Upon  the  inside,  being  covered  by  fibrous  matter. 
In  the  gangha  the  gray  matter  and  the  fibrous 
matter  are  more  or  less  uniformly  associated. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  the  impulses  which 
the  nerves  of  the  body  are  fitted  to  convey  may 
be  either  afferent  or  efferent:  that  is  to  say,  they 
may  be  excited  by  stimulating  the  terminals  or 
may  be  generated  within  the  larger  centers. 

Physiologfical  Functions 
of     Cerebral     Center. 

In  assuming  the  existence  of 
a  dual  mind,  it  is  presumed  that  the  objective 
mind  has  charge  of  all  the  voluntary  movements, 
while  to  the  subjective  are  given  over  all  involun- 
tary action,  including  the  organic  functions. 

Concerning  this  division  there  will  be  no  ob- 
jection by  any  one,  even  the  most  materialistic. 
But  the  objection  will  be  raised  by  many  in  ac- 
crediting to  either  mind  certain  alleged  occult 
powers,  such  as  thought-transferrence  and  clair- 
voyance. 

I  shall  not  at  this  time  take  up  a  discussion  of 
telepathy,  though  it  be  a  subject  which  lies  very 
near  the  heart  of  every  believer  in  psychic  heal- 
ing, whether  he  be  christian  scientist  or  a  mere 
believer  in  psycho-therapeutics.  The  subject  is 
discussed  at  some  length  in  the  chapters  on 
"Telepathy"  and  "The  Question  of  Absent 
Treatment." 

Clairvoyance  is  a  topic  entirely  foreign  to  our 
present  purpose  and  will  not  be  touched  upon. 

That  the  subjective  mind,  or  at  any  rate  the 
subconscious  phase  of  mind,  is  the  side  of  us 
open  toward  the  Universal,  not  many  will  feel 
disposed  to  question. 


CONTROL  OF  SUBJECTIVE  ACTION.  77 

Objective  Control  of 
Subjective    Action. 

Few  are  inclined  to  doubt  the 
control  over  the  human  organism  exercised  by 
the  subjective  mind,  while,  on  the  other  hand, 
relatively  few  are  prepared  to  admit  that  the 
subjective  mind  is  amenable  to  direction  and 
education.  Indeed,  it  is  commonly  believed 
that  man  has  little  or  no  control  over  the  so- 
called  involuntary  muscles  and  the  organic  func- 
tions. It  is  just  here  that  the  battle  must  be 
fought,  for  upon  the  hypothesis  of  pronounced 
amenability  of  the  subconscious  mind  to  the  con- 
scious will,  rests  the  foundation  of  the  new 
methods. 

According  to  Prof.  Schmidt  the  unconscious 
mind  is  exemplified  in  plants.  To  some  the 
thought  that  plants  possess  mind  may  be  start- 
ling, and  yet  a  study  of  cell  life  appears  to  dem- 
onstrate that  they  do.  They  furnish  conspicuous 
evidences  of  real  intelligence.  A  single  example 
may  not  be  superfluous.  In  plants  with  large 
and  broad  leaves,  as  in  the  instance  of  the  rub- 
ber plant,  too  rapid  and  extensive  evaporation  is 
prevented  by  a  glaze  given  the  leaf  which  pre- 
vents free  exit  of  moisture.  It  may  be  said  that 
this  is  a  mere  natural  adaptation  of  means  to 
ends  and  does  not  indicate  a  localization  of  mind 
in  the  organism  itself.  The  contention  is  not 
that  the  action  indicates  conscious  action  any 
more  than  does  the  free  opening  of  sweat  ducts 
in  the  human  organism  on  a  hot  day.  It  is 
evident,  however,  that  the  restriction  of  perspira- 
tion in  the  one  and  the  promotion  of  it  in  the 
other  are  phenomena  originating  in  the  subcon- 
sciousness of  each  and  that  they  do  represent 


A. 


T8  NEW  METHODS  IN  DETAIL. 

intelligence.  In  very  dry  climates  the  large 
leaves  escape  the  withering  effect  of  the  sun  by 
turning  their  edges  to  its  rays.  In  either  in- 
stance the  drying  effect  produced  by  rapid  ab- 
straction of  moisture  would  probably  be  fatal. 

That  plants  are  susceptible  to  suggestion  is 
evidenced  by  the  satisfactory  response  they  give 
to  the  care  bestowed  by  one  who  loves  them. 
It  has  become  axiomatic  that  the  lover  of  plants 
succeeds  far  better  with  them  than  do  those  who 
give  them  equal  attention  under  the  impulse  of 
mere  duty.  It  would  appear  that  the  fig  tree 
really  felt  so  powerfully  the  curse  pronounced 
upon  it  by  Jesus,  because  of  its  sterility,  that  it 
immediately  withered. 

Certain  flowers  fold  their  petals  just  as 
promptly  at  midday  as  at  evening,  if  enshrouded 
in  darkness;  and  on  restoration  of  the  light  they 
open  again.  The  horticulturist  and  the  flori- 
culturist have  learned  various  methods  of 
plant  deception  by  means  of  which  they  are  able 
to  influence  the  development  of  the  organisms  in 
which  they  are  interested. 

You  have  but  to  consult  experienced  men  in 
this  line  to  learn  many  wonderful  things  clearly 
evidencing  the  power  of  suggestion  over  plant 
life. 

I  quote  from  an  excellent  article  that  recently 
came  under  my  notice: 

"  The  forcing  process  is  assisted  by  a  peculiar  and  in- 
genious method,  the  lilac  plants  being  put  under  the  in- 
fluence of  an  anaesthetic  to  make  them  bloom  more 
quickly.  For  this  purpose  they  are  placed  in  an  airtight 
wooden  box,  with  an  uncorked  bottle  of  ether  and  are 
exposed  to  the  fumes  of  the  drug  for  about  forty-eight 
hours.  Then  they  are  taken  out  and  being  restored  to 
the  greenhouse    at    once  proceed   to  bloom,   from   ten 


CONTROL  OF  SUBJECTIVE  ACTION.  79 

days  to  two  weeks  being  gained  in  the  time  of  their 
flowering. 

"  It  is  a  most  curious  phenomenon  and  seems  to  be  ex- 
plained by  the  fact  that  the  plants,  before  bearing  flow- 
ers, require  a  period  of  rest.  In  nature  this  period  is  the 
winter,  but,  by  putting  the  lilacs  to  sleep  for  a  few  days 
artificially,  the  florist  is  able  to  cheat  them  into  the  be- 
lief that  they  have  had  their  repose,  and,  on  waking  up 
again,  they  decide  that  it  is  time  to  bring  forth  their 
flowers." 

The  subconscious  mind  of  man,  being  far 
more  intelligent,  more  readily  accepts  what  the 
objective  may  offer.  It  is  through  it  that  en- 
vironment acquires  so  profound  control  over  us. 
The  circumstances  of  daily  life,  the  weather,  the 
atmospheric  pressure,  the  thought  currents  in 
which  we  are  immersed,  and  a  thousand  other 
things  are  thus  doing  their  work  upon  us  either 
for  good  or  ill.  There  is  no  room  for  doubt  con- 
cerning this.  We  are  being  continually  acted 
upon  in  many  ways,  and,  in  the  absence  of  par- 
ticular direction,  our  subjective  minds  are  con- 
trolled in  great  measure  by  those  suggestions 
which  most  powerfully  impress. 

Our  standard  of  ethics,  our  varying  moods, 
our  physical  states,  our  impulses  and  our  intu- 
itions thus  often  find  their  ultimate  sources  in 
extraneous  influences. 

IN  GRANTING  THE  POWER  OF  ENVIRONMENT  WE 
SHOULD  OWN  OUR  HELPLESSNESS  AND  UTTER  SUB- 
JECTIVITY DID  NOT  THE  POWER  RESIDE  WITHIN  US 
TO    INHIBIT,   TO    MODIFY   AND    TO    DIRECT. 

All  carefully  noted  observation  and  experi- 
ence go  to  show  that  the  subjective  mind — the 

GREAT  REGULATOR  AND  CONTROLLER  OF  VITAL  AC- 
TIVITIES—IS  susceptible  TO  EDUCATION,  BOTH  FROM 
WITHIN      AND      WITHOUT:     BY     OURSELVES     AND     BY 


80  NEW  METHODS  IN  DETAIL. 

OTHERS.  It  is  of  the  utmost  importance  that 
this  conviction  take  possession  of  us,  since  with- 
out it  no  progress  in  the  new  methods  can  be 
made. 

To  him  who  does  accept  this  as  a  profotmd 
truth,  possibilities  of  usefulness  and  happiness 
open  up  to  which  others  are  entire  strangers. 


VII. 


New  Methods  in  Detail 

(continubd) 


(81) 


"  Where  the  normal  man,  with  normal  inclinations, 
will  find  pleasure,  the  abnormal  man.  with  abnormal  in- 
clinations, will  encounter  pain,  and  vice  versa.  Pleasure 
and  pain  follow  tendency,  as  the  shadow  follows  the 
body,"— r.  H.  Ribot. 

"  Onr  ego  is  the  permanent  nexus,  which  is  never  itself  in  a 
state  of  consciousness,  but  which  holds  states  of  conscious- 
ness together."— Herbert  Spericer. 

"  I  hold  that  the  enigma  of  hypnotism  has  no  single  answer 
which  solves  it.  _  *  *  *  I  hold  emphatically  that  hypnotic 
changes  are  primarily  physiological,  rather  than  patho- 
logical— supernormal,  rather  than  abnormal." 

—F.  W.  H.  Myers. 


(82) 


CHAPTER  VII. 

NEW  METHODS  IN  DETAIL— Continubd. 

Suggestibility. 

Effective  mental  healing  is  de- 
pendent upon  certain  conditions,  one  of  which  is 
receptivity  on  the  part  of  the  patient.  His  es- 
sential co-operation  with  the  healer  is  analogous 
to  that  subsisting  between  pupil  and  teacher 
The  cure  is  effected  by  rousing  into  normal 
activity  soul  powers  lying  dormant  zvithin^  and 
not  through  the  arbitrary  imposition  of  any 
influence  from  without.  The  patient  is  not  de- 
ceived— truth  alone  is  presented  to  his  mind, 
and  when  this  reaches  the  plane  of  soul  con- 
sciousness it  is  immediately  recognized,  ac- 
cepted and  appHed.  All  genuine  heahng, 
therefore,  in  the  last  analysis,  is  ^.^^-healing. 
A  sick  person  is  one  lacking  in  self-knowledge ; 
yet  this  quality  inheres  in  the  soul,  and  the 
simple  office  of  the  healer  is  to  bring  it  above 
the  threshold  of  consciousness — to  render  the 
potential  actual. 

HEALTH 


^u>ti.^>^'" 


FiOUBB  5.    A  Diagrammatic  Representation  of  Suggestive  Action. 

At  the  same  time  it  should  be  understood  that 
failure  of  the  subject  to  unhesitatingly  accept 

(83) 


84  NEW  METHODS  IN  DETAIL. 

the  suggestion  does  not  prove  an  effectual  bar. 
Reiteration  of  the  suggestion  under  auspicious 
conditions  may  at  last  break  down  prejudice 
and  give  full  effect  to  our  efforts.  This  is 
wrought,  it  may  be,  not  by  direct  conviction  of 
the  reason,  but  by  gradual  and  unconscious  ac- 
ceptance on  the  part  of  the  subconscious  faculty. 
Though  stoutly  opposed  by  the  objective  thought, 
it  is  taken  up,  little  by  little,  into  the  uncon- 
scious and  worked  out  to  a  conclusion.  A  new 
thought  or  a  new  custom  appeals  more  forcibly 
and  more  effectually  to  the  subconscious. 

It  is  common  observation  that,  when  we  have 
been  studying  hard  upon  something  new,  with  but 
little  apparent  progress,  if  we  lay  it  by  for  a  few 
days  or  weeks,  without  conscious  thought  upon 
it,  on  resuming  our  study  we  find  that  better 
progress  is  made.  The  suggestions  have 
had  time  to  do  their  work  and  there  has  been  a 
clarification  of  the  mental  turbidity. 

Thus  it  is  also  that  our  opinions  and  prejudices 
undergo  change  by  a  process  of  unconscious 
rumination  and  unremembered  reasoning.  The 
subjective  has  been  busy  with  its  propositions, 
and,  without  our  knowledge,  our  own  deeper 
selves  have  been  conducting  our  education. 

The  Hypnotic  State. 

The  state  most  favorable  for 
the  reception  of  suggestion  is  that  of  hypnosis. 
In  that  state  the  mind  of  the  subject  is  most  en 
rapport  with  that  of  the  operator,  and  the  im- 
pression is  correspondingly  profound. 

Hypnosis  has  its  advantages  and  its  disad- 
vantages from  the  physician's  point  of  view. 

Mr.  F.    W.  H.  Myers,    for  many  years  con- 


THE    HYPNOTIC    STATE.  85 

spicuous  as  a  scientific  investigator  of  psychic 
phenomena,  well  illustrates  the  value  and  action 
of  hypnotism  in  the  following  words: 

"In  waking  consciousness  I  am  like  the  proprietor 
of  a  factory  whose  machinery  I  do  not  understand.  My 
foreman — my  subliminal  self — weaves  for  me  so  many 
yards  of  broadcloth  per  diem  (my  ordinary  vital  proc- 
esses as  a  matter  of  course).  If  I  want  any  pattern 
more  complex  I  have  to  shout  my  orders  in  the  din  of 
the  factory,  where  only  two  or  three  inferior  workmen 
hear  me,  and  shift  their  looms  in  a  small  and  scattered 
way.  Such  are  the  confused  and  capricious  results  of 
the  first,  the  more  familiar  stages  of  hypnotic  sugges- 
tion. At  certain  intervals,  indeed,  the  foreman  stops 
most  of  the  looms,  and  uses  the  freed  power  to  stoke 
ihe  engine  and  to  oil  the  machinery.  This,  in  my 
metaphor,  is  sleep,  and  it  will  be  effective  hypnotic 
trance  if  I  can  get  tne  foreman  to  stop  still  more  of  the 
looms,  come  out  of  his  private  room,  and  attend  to  my 
orders — my  self-suggestions — for  their  repair  and  re- 
arrangement. The  question  for  us  proprietors  then  is 
how  we  can  best  get  at  our  potent  but  secluded  fore- 
men; in  what  way  we  can  make  to  our  subliminal  selves 
effective  suggestions.  And  here  I  think  we  are  for  the 
present  at  the  end  of  theory.  We  must  look  for 
guidance  to  actual  experience,  not  to  hypnotism  alone, 
but  to  all  forms  of  self-suggestion  which  are  practically 
found  to  remove  and  soothe  the  pains  and  weariness  of 
large  masses  of  common  men." 

As  a  therapeutic  measure  in  a  large  variety  of 
ailments,  hypnotism  is  entitled  to  much  confi- 
dence and  no  fear  of  obloquy  should  deter  one 
from  its  use.  "Be  physicians  and  not  hypno- 
tizers, "  says  Dr.  T.  Lloyd  Tuckey  of  Aberdeen, 
'  *  but  learn  to  apply  hypnotism  and  be  ready  to 
use  it  in  suitable  cases." 

'•  With  all  the  resources  of  latter  day  scientific  re- 
search at  his  disposal,  there  still  remains  a  large  field  of 
disease  which  is  the  despair  of  the  physician.  A  large 
section  of  it  consists  of  disease  caused  by   the  imagi- 


86  NEW    METHODS    IN    DETAIL. 

nation  or  by  causes  which  have  had  their  first  effect  on  the 
imagination.  These,  as  is  truly  pointed  out,  are  any- 
thing but  imaginary  diseases.  It  is  in  these  cases  that 
the  method  of  treatment  by  suggestion  strikes  at  the 
root  of  the  evil  in  a  manner  that  no  other  kind  of  treat- 
ment can  approach." 

Professor  H.  H.  Goddard,  who  has  investi- 
gated the  subject  of  mental  heahng  very  thor- 
oughly, publishes  a  table  compiled  from  414 
cases  treated  by  hypnotism  by  Drs.  Van  Rhen- 
terghem  and  Van  Eeden.  Of  these,  71  were 
absolute  failures,  92  were  slightly  or  temporarily 
helped,  98  were  permanently  or  decidedly 
ameliorated,  100  were  cured,  and  53  had  results 
unknown.  The  investigation  shows  (1)  that  the 
deeper  the  hypnosis  the  larger  the  percentage  of 
cures;  (2)  that  not  all  cases  are  cured;  (3)  that 
some  diseases  are  less  amenable  than  others 
to  cure  by  hypnotism. 

Dr.  J.  Milne  Bramwell  of  London  recently 
reported  76  cases  of  dipsomania  and  chronic 
alcohohsm  treated  by  him  by  hypnotic  sugges- 
tion. Twenty-eight  were  completely  cured,  36 
were  improved  and  12  were  not  helped.  Only 
those  who  had  remained  abstainers  for  three  years 
were  reckoned  as  cured. 

As  a  means  of  changing  an  evil  or  disagreeable 
bent  of  mind,  in  either  children  or  adults,  it  is  to 
be  commended. 

One  need  not  hesitate  to  employ  hypnotism  in 
any  case  of  chronic  disease  when  there  is  no  sat- 
isfactory response  to  other  forms  of  treatment. 
The  limit  of  its  power  for  good  in  the  hands  of 
well-meaning  physicians  has  not  yet  been  deter- 
mined. 

Concerning  the  alleged  ill-effects  of  repeated 
hypnosis  all  I  need  to  say  is  that  it  is  the  uniform 


HYPNOSIS   NOT   ESSENTIAL.  87 


testimony  of  all  \yho  have  used  it  extensively,  in- 
cluding Forel,  Liebault,  Bernheim,  Wetterstrand, 
Van  Eeden,  De  Jong  and  Moll,  that  in  no  in- 
stance have  they  witnessed  either  mental  or 
physical  disturbance  fairly  attributable  to  it. 

Like  any  other  therapeutic  measure,  this  also, 
in  the  hands  of  the  unskillful  and  designing,  may 
become  an  instrument  of  evil. 

Hypnosis  Not  Essential 
to  Effective  Su§:gestion. 

But  the  power  of  suggestion 
is  not  conditioned  by  hypnosis.  It  can  be  prac- 
ticed with  conspicuous  success  in  any  state 
wherein  the  physician  can  command  the  pa- 
tient's attention. 

To  succeed  to  our  liking  we  must,  in  any  case, 
acquire  control  of  the  patienf s  present  thought, 
so  as  to  turyi  it  whither  we  will.  The  various 
methods  of  doing  this  will  be  considered  in  their 
proper  places,  it  being  the  design  of  this  chapter 
to  discuss  only  theories. 

Mesmerism. 

In  recent  years  Braid's  interpretation 
of  the  phenomena  to  which  he  gave  the  name 
♦•hypnotism"  has  been  generally  accepted. 
What  was  formerly  termed  Mesmerism  has  been 
included,  against  the  protests  of  a  few. 

Thomas  J.  Hudson,  in  his  Law  of  Mental 
Medicine,  has  disputed  at  length,  and  with  a 
show  of  reason,  the  justice  and  wisdom  of  such 
a  classification.      He  says: 

"  I  have  already  pointed  out  the  fallacy  of  this  belief  so 
far  as  material  remedies  are  concerned.  Elsewhere  I 
have  pointed  out  the  fact  that  Braid's  experiments 
demonstrated    that   adults  could    be  hypnotized  by  his 


88  NEW    METHODS    IN    DETAIL. 


method  when  suggestion  in  any  form  was  out  of  the 
question;  and  the  records  of  Mesmerism  are  overflowing 
with  evidence  of  the  fact  that  many  of  its  most  im- 
portant phenomena  are  produced  under  circumstances 
that  exclude  oral  suggestion,  or  its  equivalents,  as  a 
factor  in  the  case.  For  instance,  the  fact  that  some 
animals  can  be  Mesmerized  and  others  hypnotized 
demonstrates  the  absence,  in  both  cases,  of  either  oral 
suggestion  or  any  form  of  iarvated  suggestion  that 
appeals  to  the  intelligence  of  the  subject.  Moreover, 
the  fact  that  young  children  can  be  successfully  treated 
t^by  Mesmeric  methods,  and  not  by  the  processes  of  hyp- 
-  notism  proper,  is  demonstrative  of  the  fact,  not  only 
that  oral  suggestion  or  its  equivalent  does  not  enter  as 
a  factor  in  either  case,  but  that  the  effects  of  Mesmerism 
and  hypnotism  are  due  to  radically  and  essentially  dif- 
ferent proximate  causes.  Again,  what  is  of  equal  or  of 
greater  interest  and  importance,  it  demonstrates  the 
vastly  wider  range  of  usefulness  of  Mesmerism  over 
hypnotism.  ...  It  may  be  safely  assumed  that, 
broadly  speaking,  physical  contact  is  the  one  essential 
feature  of  Mesmeric  practice  that  distinguishes  it  from 
that  of  hypnotism.  At  least  it  is  the  only  visible,  tangible 
difference;  and  it  is  tacitly  assumed  to  be  the  only  differ- 
ence by  the  enemies  of  Mesmerism  who  have  sought  to 
show  that  physical  contact  is  unnecessary." 

Hudson  proceeds  to  put  forth  a  hypothesis  to 
the  effect  that  the  cHnical  differences  observed 
are  due  essentially  to  the  greater  facility  of 
volitional  action  by  virtue  of  contact,  the  action  of 
the  neurons  by  which  consecutive  contact  of  fila- 
ments is  obtained  being  thus  projected  from  one 
nerve  terminal  in  the  operator  to  another  nerve 
terminal  in  the  subject,  thus  bridging  the  abyss 
otherwise  existing  between  operator  and  patient. 

From  my  own  experience  I  am  led  to  believe 
that  suggestion  is  much  augmented  in  effect  by 
"the  laying  on  of  hands, "  though  the  explana- 
tory theory  put  forth  by  Hudson  is  not  con- 
vincing. 


VIII. 


New  Methods  in  Detail 

(continued) 


(80) 


"The  ether  fairly  teems  with  the  vibrating  thoughts  of  by- 
gone ages,  and  all  that  is  necessary  to  become  possessed  of 
this  store  of  universal  knowledge  is  to  become  sensitive  to 
ether  vibrations  and  learn  how  to  translate  them  into  or- 
dinary language." 

"The  conscious  mind  is  the  balance  wheel :  it  is  the  regula- 
tor which  determines  the  rapidity  and  character  of  vital 
action. 

"The  subconscious  is  able  to  do  many  marvelous  things  and 
does  them  even  when  the  conscious  is  poorly  calculated  to 
give  wise  direction ;  but  its  action  is  not  uniform  and 
balanced  and  persistent."— jLearitt. 

"We  speak  of  the  action  of  will.  The  muscles  are  said  to 
contract  in  response  to  it ;  but  to  make  a  muscle  act  we  do 
not  issue  an  order  and  then  strenuously  and  anxiously 
await  its  execution.  Not  at  all.  We  merely  move  the  part. 
There  is  no  effort.  Just  so  must  it  be  in  the  affairs  of  the 
unseen  realm.  We  will  and  act,  ask  and  receive;  seek 
and  find,  all  being  accomplished  in  one  related  and  un- 
divided movement.  There  is  no  interval.  We  merely  let 
come  what  we  desire.  Our  volition  opens  the  gates  and 
the  supply  pours  forth." — Lmvitt. 

"Anybody  may  go  into  the  business  of  building  his  own 
mind.  The  thinking  organ  undergoes  perpetual  changes 
in  cell  structure  and  is  never  finished. 

"Even  in  old  age  it  is  not  too  late. 

"Let  the  esoteric  mind-builder  systematically  devote  an 
hour  each  day  in  calling  up  pleasant  ideas  and  memories. 
Let  him  summon  the  finer  feelings  of  benevolence  and  on- 
eelfishness  which  are  called  up  only  now  and  then.  Let 
him  make  this  a  regular  practice,  like  swinging  dumb  bells. 
Let  him  gradually  increase  the  time  devoted  to  these  psych- 
ical gymnastics,  giving  them  sixty  or  ninety  minutes  per 
diem. 

"At  the  end  of  a  month  he  will  find  the  change  in  himself 
surprising.  The  alteration  will  be  apparent  in  his  actions 
and  thoughts. 

"It  will  have  been  registered  in  the  cell  structure  of  his 
brain.  Cells  useful  for  good  thinking  will  have  been  well 
developed,  while  others  productive  of  evil  will  have  shrunk. 
Morally  speaking,  the  man  will  be  a  great  improvement  on 
his  former  self.  "—Eimer  Gates. 


(«0) 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

NEW  METHODS  IN  DETAIL— Continued. 

The  Theory  of  Auto-Su§:g:estioii. 

The  power  of  sugges- 
tion which  proves  so  effectual  when  employed  by 
another  in  one's  behalf  can  be  used  with  even 
greater  effect  upon  one's  self.  This  may  sound 
like  an  extravagance,  but  it  is  not.  It  seems  in- 
credible to  some  that  one  may  talk  to  one's  self 
with  pronounced  effect;  and  yet  it  is  true.  This 
is  one  of  the  evidences  of  our  duality  of  mind. 

"An  affirmation  made  even  perfunctorily  at  first,"  says 
Dr.  M.  Woodbury  Sawyer,  "if  one  can  do  no  more,  does 
tend  to  unite  with  feeling  and  to  become  a  thing  of  life. 
A  genuine  willingness  to  try  the  experiment  is  all  that  is 
necessary  to  prove  the  truth.  If  one  persistently  and 
cheerfully  'whistles  to  keep  up  courage'  there  comes  a 
time  when  the  bugle  call  to  arms  becomes  a  pean  of  joy 
for  an  accomplished  fact.  But  the  affirmation  without 
expectancy,  or,  worse  still,  positively  fearing  the  op- 
posite, is  building  with  one  hand  and  tearing  down  with 
the  other,  or  starting  the  engine  forward  and  immediate- 
ly reversing  it." 

But  there  is  force  in  method  and  it  is  of  con- 
siderable importance  to  observe  the  proper  form- 
ula. For  the  necessary  instruction  of  the  phy- 
sician himself,  and,  through  him,  of  his  patients, 
reference  is  made  to  Part  11. 

The  reader  will  understand  that  the  votaries  of 
psychic  heali^ig  believe  most  emphatically  that  all 

CURES  ARE  ESSENTIALLY  SELF  CURES.        No    matter 

what  the  particular  formula  set,  the  real  process 

(91? 


92  NEW    METHODS    IN    DETAIL. 

of  restoration  is  effected  by  the  subconscious  fac- 
ulties of  the  patient.  In  all  suggestion  the  appeal 
is  to  the  subjective.  At  the  same  time  it  will  be 
understood  that  the  subconscious  is  approached 
most  commonly  and  most  easily  through  the 
conscious,  as  will  be  shown  in  the  succeeding 
chapter  on  "The  Vehicles  of  Suggestion." 

The  subject  of  auto-suggestion  has  been  intro- 
duced for  two  specific  reasons,  the  force  of  which 
cannot  fail  of  recognition. 

First:  That  it  is  needed  by  the  physician  in 
order  that  he  may  develop  in  himself  the  health, 
the  self-control,  the  strength,  the  poise,  the  en- 
ergy, the  wisdom,  the  courage,  the  persistency, 
the  faith,  the  altruism  and  the  constancy  re- 
quired in  one  who  seeks  to  become  an  efficient 
physician  and  surgeon — a  true  healer. 

Second:  In  order  that  the  essential  factors 
involved  in  cure  may  be  faithfully  applied.  One 
cannot  well  be  a  good  teacher  without  first  pass- 
ing through  the  curriculum. 

The  more  we  have  of  the  same  qualities  that 
in  our  patients  are  recognized  as  conducive  to 
mental  and  physical  health,  the  more  efficient  we 
become  in  the  work,  which,  to  be  of  the  right 
quality,  must  be  to  us  a  vocation  rather  than  a 
mere  avocation. 

One  ship  sails  east  and  another  sails  west, 
In  the  very  same  winds  that  blow; 

'Tis  the  set  of  the  sails,  and  not  the  gales. 
That  determines  the  way  they  shall  go. 


IX. 


New  Methods  in  Detail 

(continued) 


(93) 


''Washington  Irving  could  write  well,  but  he  could  not  make 
a  speech.  Patrick  Henry  could  make  a  speech  that  would 
carry  men  off  their  feet  by  its  eloquence,  but  he  could  not 
write  a  creditable  report."— Lcauift. 

"It  is  to  be  reckoned  a  piece  of  good  fortune  for  a  bright  and 
talented  youth  to  fall  under  the  dominating  influence  of  a 
mastermind.  In  endeavoring  to  walk  iu  the  fdotsteps  of 
an  intellectual  giant,  to  comprehend  his  theories  and  specu- 
lations and  to  carry  the  burden  of  his  thought,  unexpected 
strength  and  power  are  developed,  and  when  the  day  of 
emancipation  comes — as  it  always  does  come  in  the  case  of 
gifted  youth — the  learner  will  find  that  he  has  entered  a 
higher  sphere  of  intellectual  activity  and  will  henceforth 
rank  among  the  world's  productive  thinkers." — Nathan  C. 
Schaeffer,  "  Thinking  and  Learning  to  Think." 

"Pluck  wins !    It  always  wins ! 
Though  days  be  slow 
And  nights  be  dark  'twixt  days  that  come  and  go. 
Still  pluck  will  win  ;  its  average  is  sure ; 
He  gains  the  prize  who  can  the  most  endure — 
Who  faces  issues,  he  who  never  shirks— 
Who  waits  and  watches,  and  who  always  works."  ' 


(W) 


CHAPTER  IX. 

NEW  METHODS  IN  DETAIL— Continued 
THE  VEHICLES  OF  SUGGESTIOH. 

"Thought  is  feehng, "  says  Carpenter.  It  is  a 
sensory  product.  To  produce  feeling  there  must 
be  either  actual  or  recalled  contact.  All  thought 
springs  from  stimuli.  These  stimuli  at  one  time 
find  entrance  through  the  auditory  canal,  at 
other  times  through  the  eye,  often  through  the 
touch  and  so  on.  Even  taste  exercises  a  similar 
thought-creative  influence.  Besides  the  recog- 
nized five  senses  it  is  quite  probable  that  there 
are  occult  senses — unknown  and  unclassified. 

Patients  no  doubt  differ  in  their  receptivity, 
owing  in  great  measure  to  the  difference  in  per- 
meability of  their  thought  channels. 

In  passing  it  may  be  said  that  a  corresponding 
inequality  is  found  in  healers,  arising  from  the 
difference  in  degree  of  their  powers  of  thought 
concentration  and  ideality.  An  imperfectly 
formed  and  wavering  concept  cannot  be  driven 
home  with  precision  and  penetration. 

The  principal  vehicles  of  suggestion  are  the 
voice  and  the  touch.  To  these  may  be  added 
the  physical  expression  of  the  operator  and  his 
written  thought.  The  suggestion  itself  is,  of 
course,  a  thought. 

Nor  ought  I  to  omit  mention  of  the  atmos- 
pheric ether,  by  means  of  which  it  is  claimed 
that  the  thoughts  themselves  can  be  conveyed 
bodily  from  one  to  another,  as  in  '  *  thought-trans- 

(95) 


96  NEW    METHODS    IN    DETAIL. 

ferrence. "      It   is   the    accepted   vehicle   which 
makes  possible  so-called  "absent  treatment." 

Inasmuch  as  I  discuss  in  another  chapter  the 
essential  qualifications  of  the  operator  I  shall 
now  merely  say  that  the  vehicle,  whether  it  be 
voice,  touch,  physical  expression  or  anything 
else,  must  have  something  definite  to  carry,  and  it 
must  be  projected  in  away  to  make  the  recipient 
feel  that  there  is  a  "man  behind  the  gun." 

The  Voice. 

To  make  an  efficient  vehicle  of  the 
voice  there  must  be  attention  given  to  it:  it  must 
be  used  in  the  right  way.  An  energetic  and 
well-formed  concept  is  often  spoiled  by  seeming 
indifference  or  by  deficient  energy  in  its  delivery. 
Did  you  never  listen  to  an  address  of  superb 
character,  full  of  helpful  and  interesting  thought, 
without  being  impressed,  and  mentally  ejacu- 
lated: "Oh,  what  an  effect  could  have  been 
made  by  the  same  address  had  it  been  delivered 
by  a  true  orator!" 

I  am  not  unreasonable  enough  to  maintain 
that  every  physician  who  would  successfully  em- 
ploy psychic  therapeutics  must  become  an  elo- 
cutionist. No,  but  I  would  have  him  cultivate 
that  part  of  true  oratory  which  represents  gen- 
uine/eelzu£- — true  sentiment.  When  the  patient 
is  assured  that  there  is  a  "balm  in  Gilead"  for 
her  lesions,  it  should  be  in  tones  that  carry  con- 
viction. 

Personal  magnetism  consists  chiefly  of  genuine 
earnestness  in  what  is  said  and  done.  To  be 
magnetic  one  must  not  only  be  attentive  to  the 
thing  in  hand,  but,  like  a  good  actor,  he  must 
throw  into  it  much  of  himself.      It  may  be  called 


VEHICLES    OF    SUGGESTION. 


97 


FiGxmE  6. 

Diagrammatic  Representation  of  the  Vehicles  of  Snp^stion. 
The  continuous  lines  represent  the  objective,  and  the  interrupted  Iin«8  the 

subjectiTo. 


98  NEW    METHODS    IN    DETAIL. 

mental  concentration — a  genuine  focusing  of 
power  upon  the  one  object.  Such  thought  burns 
its  way.  It  is  like  the  electric  spark,  full  of 
light  and  heat. 

Men  of  power  are  always  after  this  type. 
Some  of  them  are  so  by  nature,  while  many 
others  have  coveted  and  acquired  the  power. 
All  can  develop  a  large  measure  of  it,  if  they  willy 
and  become  successful  in  whatever  they  under- 
take. 

The  Touch. 

What  I  have  said  with  respect  to  the 
Voice  is  equally  true  of  the  Expression  and  the 
Touch.  The  magnetic  touch  has  behind  it  a 
tremendous  energy,  representing  faith  in  one's 
self  and  in  the  outcome  of  one's  effort,  repre- 
senting also  pointed  concentration  of  all  the 
thought  at  one's  command. 

It  deserves  also  to  be  said  that  the  five  senses 
represent  nothing  more  than  specialized,  or  differ- 
entiated, feeling,  or  sensation. 

The  Need  of  Sincerity. 

Bear  in  mind,  also,  that  the 
thought  itself  requires  genuine  conviction  behind 
it.  To  effect  the  designed  result  faith  must 
match  faith.  While  I  am  convinced  that  the 
doubter — the  faithless — who  can  muster  good 
mental  concentration  will  achieve  far  better  re- 
sults than  the  most  genuine  believer  who  is  un- 
able to  command  his  own  thought,  I  am  of  the 
opinion  that  no  true  success  is  possible  upon  a 
basis  of  deceit. 


THE   NEED   OF   SINCERITY.  99 


To  Do  Our  Very  Best 
We  Must  Be  Genuine. 

The  vibrations  of  insincerity  are 
cognizable  by  a  sensitive  subj  ect.  Some  years  ago 
I  knew  a  clergyman  of  much  talent  and  energy 
who  was  not  giving  the  best  satisfaction  in  the 
society  to  which  he  preached.  He  was  making  a 
fair  endeavor  and  was  exceedingly  anxious  to 
please.  Learning  thatmany criticised  the  character 
of  his  preaching,  in  desperation  he  declared  that, 
if  the  officials  of  the  church  would  only  intimate 
to  him  the  kind  of  preaching  they  wanted,  he 
would  guarantee  it  to  them.  But  this  very  offer 
was  his  undoing,  because  it  demonstrated,  what 
had  long  been  felt,  that  he  lacked  the  sincerity 
which  must  characterize  all  truly  successful  effort 


Is  life  a  failure  1    Look  within  thy  soul 
And  let  thy  Higher  Self  point  out  the  goal 
Of  thy  desire,  which  thou  wilt  never  reach 
Unless  thou  hearest  what  thy  Seer  can  teach. 
Have  perfect  faith  in  thine  own  power  to  do 
The  thing  thou  wishest,  then  be  firmly  true 
To  thine  Ideal,  until  the  world  shall  see 
Success  inherent  in  thy  work  and  thee. 

—Helen  Chauncey. 


(100) 


X. 


New  Methods  in  Detail 

(continued) 


(101) 


"The  eTidence  for  telepathy  is  both  good  and  abnndant." 

—Frank  Podmore. 

"The  philosopher  is  no  longer  regarded  as  the  highest  type 
of  humanity.  The  age  demands  that  thought  shall  pass 
into  volition,  and  that  volition  shall  find  expression  in 
action," 

"The  conscious  side  of  thought  is  sensation.  It  must  be 
because  we  remember  it.  There  was  contact  and  hence 
memory. 

"Is  it  not  possible  that  we  are  bathed  in  a  sea  of  motion 
(thought ),  and  that  we  feel  what  we  invite— that  is  to  say, 
we  feel  what,  by  our  development  and  volition,  we  attract? 

.  In  that  case  thoughts  are  things.  They  pass,  and  in  pass- 
ing leave  their  impress. 

"Will  is  merely  an  adjustment(a  turning  of  attention)  The 
next  step  is  connecting  sensation  with  consciousness.  In 
consciousness  we  perceive  what  we  have  continually,  but 
unconsciously,  felt.  We  open  our  minds,  or  close  them,  in 
willing,  and  thought  does  the  rest. 

"The  thoughts  themselves  are  evidently  vibrations.  If  not, 
how  can  thought  be  transferred  from  one  mind  to  another, 
as  in  telepathy?"— Z-eauitt. 

"Men  mark  when  they  hit,  and  never  mark  when  they  miss." 

—Bacon. 


(102) 


CHAPTER  X. 

NEW  METHODS  IN  DETAIL— Continued. 
TELEPATHY. 

Concerning  the  question  of  the  universal  ether 
as  a  bearer  of  thought  I  may  now  be  indulged  in 
a  few  observations. 

In  these  days  of  telegraphy  and  telephony 
people  are  talking  a  great  deal  about  telepathy 
or  thought-transferrence.  The  same  phenom- 
enon has  also  been  called  "mind  reading." 

Among  people  of  all  classes  we  find  many  who 
have  no  faith  whatever  in  the  alleged  phenomena 
and  many  others  who  have  unbounded  confi- 
dence in  them. 

The  Psychic  Research  Society  has  done  a 
good  deal  to  elucidate  the  phenomena  ascribed 
to  telepathy,  concerning  which  elucidation  the 
following  summing  up  by  a  member  of  the  so- 
ciety, based  upon  undoubted  phenomena,  ought 
to  set  the  question  at  rest.  That  the  atmos- 
pheric ether,  or  something  akin  to  it,  as  yet  un- 
recognized, does  act  as  a  vehicle  of  thought, 
under  conditions,  the  laws  determining  which  are 
not  yet  clear,  appears  to  be  a  fact. 

The  results  of  investigations  undertaken  by  the 
Psychic  Research  Society  are  thus  given  by 
Edward  T.  Bennett,  who  was  for  many  years 
one  of  the  society's  secretaries.      He  says: 

"The  conclusion  seems  to  be  irresistible,  that   the  five 
senses  do  not  exhaust  the  means  by  which  knowledge  may 

(108) 


104  NEW    METHODS    IN    DETAIL. 


enter  the  mind.  In  other  words,  the  investigator  seems 
to  be  driven  to  the  conclusion  that  Thought-Trans- 
ferrence  or  Telepathy  must  now  be  included  among 
scientifically  proved  facts.  The  interpretation  of  the 
facts,  the  means  by  which  knowledge  is  thus  conveyed, 
the  mode  of  its  transmission,  belong  to  a  different 
branch  of  the  inquiry." 

Experiments  thus  far  made  have  translated 
impressions  in  the  terms  of  physical  sense.  To 
learn  what  mind  can  really  do  in  the  direction  of 
sending  out  its  thoughts,  something  more  than 
this  is  required. 

"It  does  not  follow,"  says  Leibnitz,  "because 
we  do  not  perceive  thought  that  it  does  not  ex- 
ist. It  is  a  great  source  of  error  to  believe  there 
is  no  perception  in  the  mind  but  that  of  which  it 
is  conscious. "  That  there  is  both  an  inner  and 
an  outer  sense  of  feeling  finds  color  in  a  physi- 
ological study  of  phenomena.  Sensations  are 
produced  and  their  effects  follow  without  our 
realizing  either  the  perception  or  its  effects.  A 
multitude  of  impressions  are  continually  pelting 
us,  though  we  are  conscious  of  but  few  of  them. 
Moreover,  we  should  remember  that  the  im- 
pressions we  do  not  recognize  are  not  only  there 
just  as  much  as  those  we  do  recognize,  but  that 
they  are  sometimes  more  profound. 

The  nervous  system  is  a  harp  with  a  thousand 
strings,  upon  which  the  whole  world  of  thought 
and  action  is  playing.  Put  your  ear  to  the 
sounding  board  of  a  piano  and  you  will  hear  the 
vibrations  of  wind  and  wave,  of  passing  wagons 
and  trains,  of  footsteps  and  the  lower  hum  of 
cosmic  motion.  Just  so  do  external  forces 
awaken  harmonies  or  create  discords  within  us. 
We  are  elated  or  depressed,  inspired,  animated 
and  enlightened,   or  are  discouraged  and  over- 


TELEPATHY.  105 


come,  but  we  know  not  why.  Go  deeply  enough 
and  we  shall  find  the  cause.  Sensations  are  only 
the  effects  of  vibrations. 

Now  here  is  the  important  consideration :  from 

OUT  THIS  MASS  OF  DIVERSIFIED  VIBRATIONS  WE  CAN 
LEARN   TO   ADMIT    ONLY   THOSE   THAT    MINISTER    TO 

COMFORT  AND  PROFIT.  To  all  the  others  we  may 
become  insensate.  They  reach  us,  to  be  sure, 
but  our  minds  may  be  so  under  control  that  they 
shall  be  refused  thought  space,  and  accordingly 
pass  unnoticed  and  without  pronounced  effect. 

F.  W.  H.  Myers  himself,  after  taking  every 
precaution  against  possible  sources  of  error,  wit- 
nessed the  effect  of  one  mind  upon  another 
through  the  power  of  hypnotism  exercised  at  a 
distance  by  a  Dr.  Gilbert.  The  doctor  strongly 
willed  a  woman  more  than  a  half-mile  away  to 
come  at  once  to  his  office.  To  be  sure  he  had 
frequently  hypnotized  her,  but  in  this  instance 
the  possibility  of  collusion  or  of  post-hypnotic 
suggestion  was  cautiously  ruled  out. 

The  woman  came,  in  a  state  of  hypnosis,  and 
remained  under  its  power  until  released  by  the 
doctor. 

From  a  scientific  work  by  Prof.  Nathan  C. 
Schaeffer,  entitled  "Thinking  and  Learning  to 
Think,"  recently  published,  I  take  the  following: 
"^The  stimulating  influences  which  go  forth  from  a  live 
teacher  are  partly  conscious  and  partly  unconscious. 
The  latter  are  the  more  effective.  Minds  gifted  with 
quickening  power  create  about  themselves  an  'intellect- 
ual atmosphere'  that  is  like  the  invigorating  atmos- 
phere of  the  mountains  or  the  tonic  breezes  which 
blow  from  the  sea.  The  woman  who  touched  the  hem 
of  the  Savior's  garment  felt  at  once  the  vivifying  influ- 
ences which  were  all  the  time  going  forth  from  the  Great 
Teacher.  Here  we  stand  face  to  face  with  the  greatest  mys- 
tery of  the  teacher's  art." 


106  NEW    METHODS    IN    DETAIL. 

Says  Peter  C.  Austin: 

"  Particles  of  vibrations  strike  our  nerve  points  in  one 
way  and  we  see  light  or  color;  in  another  way  and 
we  feel  heat.  Our  nerves  and  brain  transmute  the  mo- 
tions into  forms  of  sensation.  The  brain  is  the  trans- 
lator of  motion  into  images;  of  sensations  into  ideas. 
There  is  no  reason  why  there  should  be  any  limit  to  the 
modes  of  molecular  or  ethereal  motion;  but  our  senses^  as  we 
call  our  translators^  are  but  few  in  number ,  hence  we  recognise 
but  few  of  them." 

Our  physical  senses  comprehend  a  certain 
range  of  vibrations.  All  outside  the  range  thus 
far  set  for  us  is  a  blank:  there  is  no  conscious 
recognition  of  anything.  Animal  life  gives  con- 
clusive evidence  of  perception  beyond  the  range 
of  human  consciousness,  and  may  we  not  fairly 
conclude  that  there  are  many  vibrations  repre- 
senting things  beyond  our  present  conscious  ken  ? 

Moreover,  since  much  of  our  life  is  hidden  in 
unconsciousness,  have  we  not  a  right  to  assume 
that  the  subconsciousness  has  senses  of  its  own 
that  play  an  important  part  in  determining  con- 
scious action  and  feeling? 

Says  Prof.  Wm.  James: 

"Vibrations  are,  generally  speaking,  aerial  waves. 
When  the  waves  are  non-periodic  the  result  is  a  noise; 
when  periodic  it  is  a  note  or  tone.  Loudness  depends 
on  force  of  waves.  The  timbre  of  the  sound  depends  on 
the  form  of  the  waves.  The  pitch  of  C  is  due  to  132  vi- 
brations a  second;  that  of  the  octave  Cto  twice  as  many 
— 264.  The  highest  pitched  audible  note  is  due  to  38,- 
016.     Very  low  and  very  high  vibrations  are  inaudible** 

Says  Prof.  John  D.  Quackenbos: 
"The  time  has  indeed  come,  as  Maeterlinck  predicted 
it  would,  when  souls  may  know  of  each  other  without 
the  intermediary  of  the  senses." 

Says  Clark  Bell: 
"Telepathy,  as  it  is  regarded  by  scientists  who  accept 


TELEPATHY.  107 


it  as  a  fact,  is  some  unknown  sense  or  power  of  the  hu- 
rnan  body  by  which  as  a  physical  process  communica- 
tion is  held  between  brain  and  brain  of  the  human  or- 
ganism— some  means  by  which  the  perceptions  are 
reached  in  some  manner  analogous  to  the  known  and 
well-defined  transmission  of  the  electric  current  or  the 
action  of  gravitation  which  we  know  exists.  But  we 
are  as  yet  unable  to  comprehend  how  it  acts  or  to  know 
its  methods." 

Prof.  Hyslop  and  many  other  students  of 
spiritistic  phenomena  declare  that  either  so- 
called  spiritualism  or  telepathy  of  a  most  lucid 
character  is  true — the  one  or  the  other.  Here 
are  the  horns  of  the  dilemma.  Let  doubters 
take  their  choice.  Since  Hyslop,  as  I  am  in- 
formed, is  Professor  of  Logic  in  Columbia 
University,  such  a  conclusion  should  be  allowed 
unusual  weight. 

The  evidence  herein  adduced  gives  the  ques- 
tion of  "absent  treatment"  a  standing  before  a 
medical  tribunal,  and  I  am  sure  there  will  be  no 
adverse  criticism  of  the  author  in  giving  it  serious 
consideration. 

Says  Prof.  Crooks: 
*«  If  we  accept  the  theory  that  the  brain  is  composed  of 
separate  elements — nerve  cells — then  we  must  presume 
that  each  of  these  components,  like  every  other  bit  of 
matter,  has  its  movements  of  vibration,  and  will,  under 
suitable  conditions,  be  affected;  as,  for  instance,  the 
nerve  cells  of  the  retina  by  vibration  in  the  ether.  If 
another  neuron,  situated  not  far  away,  should  acquire 
the  same  movement  of  vibration,  there  seems  no  good 
reason  why  they  should  not  materially  affect  each  other 
through  the  ether." 

"The  earth  does  move,"  said  Galileo,  and  so  it 
does.  The  scientific  men  of  his  day  were  theo- 
logical bigots — and  bigotry  is  always  cruel.  A 
few  years  ago  we  all  were  ready  to  commit  those 
who  avowed  faith  in  "absent  treatment"  to  the 


108  NEW    METHODS    IN    DETAIL. 

insane  asylum,  and  most  physicians  are  still 
ready  to  do  so.  The  authorities  are  today  about 
to  put  on  trial  for  fraud  a  "mental  scientist" 
because  she  claims  to  be  able  to  cure  ailments  by 
means  of  health-thoughts  sent  to  her  patients 
through  the  ether.  History  repeats  itself,  not  in 
identical,  but  in  analogous,  experiences. 


CONS  C/OUSNESS 


FiGTTRE  7.     Telepathic  Lines  of  Communication.     A,  line  of  conscious 
thought  transferrence ;  B,B,  lines  of  unconscious  transferrence. 

We  boast  our  twentieth-century  toleration; 
but  mankind  is  nearly  as  bigoted  as  ever. 

There  is  no  disputing  the  fact  that  those  who 
have  given  the  subject  of  telepathy  attentive 
thought  and  patient  investigation  have  become 
convinced  of  its  truth  and  practicability.  My 
own  experience  has  given  me  unwavering  con- 
victions. /  know  that  in  some  way  thought  can 
be  transmitted  from  one  conscious  mind  to  a^iother; 
and  I  have  good  reason  to  believe  that  it  can  be 
transmitted  still  rnore  forcibly  and  fully  to  the  un- 
conscious mind  of  the  percipient. 

Having  become  convinced,  one  finds  ' '  absent 
treatments"  on  practically  the  same  footing  as 
suggestion  in  general.  In  one  instance  vibra- 
tions carry  the  thought  in  plain  language  to  the 
patient — access  to  the  mind  being  had  through 
the  auditory  nerve — while  in  the  other,  vibrations 


TELEPATHY.  109 


bear  the  thought  in  graphic  images.  It  is  much 
Hke  the  difference  existing  between  wire  and 
aerial  telegraphy. 

Formerly  I  laughed  in  derision  at  the  sugges- 
tion of  curing  by  suggestion,  and  I  laughed  again 
at  the  claim  that  suggestions  could  be  made  to 
jump  great  chasms  of  space  to  do  their  work. 
Now  I  avt  not  only  willing  to  admit  the  scientific 
possibility  of  both,  but  am  a  hearty  believer  in 
their  practicability. 

One  of  the  evidences  of  senility  is  inability,  or, 
oftener,  refusal,  to  accept  new  ideas.  The  old 
physician  is  apt  to  cling  to  his  well-practiced 
routine.  His  mind  has  been  accustomed  to  run 
in  certain  channels,  and  its  stream  of  conscious- 
ness is  so  viscid  that  it  does  not  readily  wear  new 
channels. 

Happy  is  he  who  can  keep  his  mental  powers 
in  a  state  of  plasticity  and  his  thoughts  limpid. 

The  Sage  of  Concord  says: 
**  God  offers  to  every  mind  its  choice  between  truth  and 
repose.  Take  which  you  please — you  can  never  have 
both.  Between  these,  as  a  pendulum,  man  oscillates. 
He  in  whom  the  love  of  repose  predominates  will  ac- 
cept the  first  creed,  the  first  philosophy,  the  first  po- 
litical party  he  meets — most  likely  his  father's.  He  gets 
rest,  commodity  and  reputation;  but  he  shuts  the  door 
of  truth.  He  in  whom  the  love  of  truth  predominates 
will  k^ep  himself  aloof  from  all  moorings  and  float.  He 
will  abstain  from  dogmatism  and  recogni:^e  all  the  opposite 
negations  between  which,  as  walls,  his  bemg  is  swung.  He 
submits  to  the  inconvenience  of  suspense  and  imperfect 
opinion,  but  he  is  a  candidate  for  truth,  as  the  other  is 
not,  and  respects  the  highest  law  of  his  being." 

"Can  any  good  thing  come  out  of  Nazareth?" 
we  have  been  asking — and  always  with  an  im- 
plied negative.  To  be  sure  it  is  a  long  step  for 
medical   men   to  take,   this  admitting  even  the 


110  NEW    METHODS    IN    DETAIL. 

possibility  of  efficient  suggestion  by  absent 
treatment.  The  testimony  herein  adduced  will 
not  be  convincing  to  all.  I  neither  expect  nor 
desire  such  an  effect.  If  it  awakens  in  a  few  an 
honest  endeavor  to  know  the  truth  it  will  serve  a 
useful  purpose. 

WE  CAN  BE  TOLERANT  WITHOUT  BEING  CREDULOUS. 
WE  CAN  BE  SINCERE  WITHOUT  BEING  SEVERE. 

Says  Carlyle: 

**  I  will  allow  a  thing  to  struggle  for  itself  in  the  world, 
with  any  sword  or  tongue  or  implement  it  has  or  can  lay 
hold  of.  We  will  let  it  preach  and  pamphleteer  and 
fight,  and  to  the  uttermost  bestir  itself,  and  do,  beak 
and  claws,  whatsoever  is  in  it;  very  sure  that  //  will,  in 
the  long  run,  conquer  nothing  which  does  not  deserve  to  be 
conquered." 


XI. 


New  Methods  in  Detail 

(continued) 


(lU) 


"Great  men  are  they  who  see  that  spiritual  force  is  stronger 
than  material  force ;  that  thought  rules  the  world." 

—Emerson. 

"Two  medical  students  were  engaged  in  dissection:  one 
playfully  passed  the  handle  of  his  scalpel  across  the  finger 
of  his  friend,  who  started,  shrieked  and  then  confessed 
that  he  felt  the  pain  of  the  blade  cutting  through  to  the 
bone." — Gratiolet. 

"The  conclusion  is  not  to  be  resisted  that  all  the  functions 
of  the  central  nervous  system,  and  all  manifestations  of 
life  and  mental  activity,  fall  under  the  conception  of  reflex 
action.  No  ganglionic  cell  is  functional  without  a  suf- 
ficient reason,  which  is  calJed  the  stimulus,  in  the  language 
of  physiology ;  no  volition  without  motive,  in  the  language 
of  psychology."— Bd.  v.  Hartmann. 

"How  strange  that  such  a  therapeutic  agent  should  have 
been  so  ignored,  that  by  none  of  our  leading  surgeons 
and  physicians  do  we  see  the  influence  of  the  human  mind 
over  the  human  body  really  seriously  dealt  with.  One  may 
find  here  and  there  an  honorable  exception,  it  is  true, 
distinguished  alike  by  his  rarity  and  by  the  obloquy  he 
incurs. '  '—Schofield. 


(112) 


CHAPTER  XI. 

NEW    METHODS     IN     DETAIL— Continued. 
THE  COKDITIOlfS  OF  EFFECTIVE  SUGGESTIOIT. 

Faith. 

Dr.  Edwin  W.  Pyle  very  aptly  observes: 
* '  Faith  from  childhood  to  age  is  more  or  less  a 
panacea  for  human  ills;  and,  however  reposed, 
should  never  be  rudely  shaken.  Whether  it  be 
in  prayer  or  in  the  plainest  doctor  it  is  the  same 
precious  commodity,  without  which  we  can  do 
nothing  and  with  which  we,  too,  can  work 
wonders. " 

When  Jesus  was  in  a  certain  region  preaching 
his  gospel  of  hope  and  good  will  he  found  him- 
self unable  to  do  many  wonders  because  of  the 
unbelief  of  the  people  who  presented  themselves. 
We  do  not  know  that  he  tried  and  failed,  in  any 
instance,  as,  indeed,  he  probably  did  not,  for 
there  is  a  subtle  and  convincing  sense  of  rapport 
between  individuals  when  there  is  vibratory  har- 
mony, and  an  equally  convincing  sense  of  its  ab- 
sence when  it  does  not  exist. 

Every  physician  has  experienced  the  par- 
alyzing effect  of  skepticism  in  certain  of  his 
patients,  or  their  friends,  and  has  longed  to  be 
rid  of  the  case  that  he  may  have  had  in  hand. 
Under  such  conditions  even  drug  remedies  fail 
to  exhibit  their  customary  effects. 

An  indispensable  condition  of  cure  tinder  any 
form  of  treatment  is  the  existence  of  a  spirit — a 
breath — an   atmosphere  of  faith.      The   patient 

(113) 


114  NEW    METHODS    IN    DETAIL. 

himself,  in  a  rational  state,  and  the  physician, 
must  be  in  the  confident — the  expectant — frame 
of  mind.  There  must  be  a  settling  back  of  the 
mind  upon  a  sense  of  approaching  aid;  there 
must  be  a  hushed,  but  quickened,  mentality. 
"Whenever  self-consciousness  is  subdued,"  very  justly 
observes  Prof.  Barrett,  "when  the  known  and  claimant 
*  me '  retires  to  the  background,  then  an  opportunity  is 
afforded  for  the  emergence  of  the  '  other  me '  of  that 
large  and  unrecognized  part  of  our  personality  which 
lies  below  the  threshold  of  our  consciousness." 

"Then, "  some  one  asks,  "do  you  regard  a  state 
of  doubt,  or  of  positive  disbelief,  an  effectual  bar 
to  curative  action?" 

I  certainly  do  consider  it  a  bar  to  immediate 
effects.  But,  as  I  have  elsewhere  taken  occasion 
to  point  out,  iteration  and  reiteration  of  affirm- 
ations of  the  right  character  are  capable  ulti- 
mately of  so  changing  the  most  obdurate  mind 
(probably  by  first  convincing  the  subjective)  that 
the  conditions  essential  to  cure  may  become  es- 
tablished. The  most  scornful  opponent  of  a 
measure  may  thus  be  made  over  into  a  believer 
and  supporter. 

And,  again,  despite  the  bluster  and  avowed  un- 
belief of  some  patients,  there  is  a  subconscious 
acceptance  of  the  proposed  tenets,  and  cure 
may  become  established  in  the  very  face  of  out- 
ward opposition. 

But  the  truth  remains  that,  as  a  condition  of 
cure — the  most  essential — there  must  exist  a 
substratum  of  faith. 

The  importance  of  this  element  of  cure  can- 
not be  overstated.     Floyd  B.  Wilson  sets  it  forth 
none  too  emphatically  when  he  says: 
"The  path  to  the  end  is  through  the  gateway  of  faith. 
If   the  faith   be  absolute,    the   result   will    come — note 


FAITH.  115 

carefully,  please — if  the  faith  be  absolute  the  result  will  comet 
whether  it  be  a  blind  or  an  intelligent  faith ." 

Again  some  one  asks: 
"Faith  in  what?     In  the  truth  of  the  particular 
theories  proposed?" 

No. 
"In  the  physician  himself?" 

Not  necessarily. 
"In  Divine  interposition  through  the  machinery 
involved?" 

No. 
"Well,  then,  faith  in  what  ?  " 

JUST  FAITH  THAT  THE  THING  IS  ABOUT  TO  BE  DONE. 

One  may  be  unable  to  accept  the  tenets  pre- 
sented; one  may  be  unable,  either  from  ignorance 
or  lack  of  settled  conviction,  to  feel  a  sense  of 
faith  in  any  particular  theory  of  cure,  yet  con- 
viction may  seize  upon  the  subject  and  he  be 
able  to  say  in  all  truth:  "I  believe." 

Of  course  it  is  far  better  for  one's  faith  to  have 
a  distinct  basis.  All  ought  to  be  able  to  give  "a 
reason  for  the  hope  "  that  is  in  them. 

Moreover,  the  more  exalted  the  object  of  faith, 
the  nioj'e  energetic  the  action.  If  one  accepts  the 
proffered  cure  as  coming  direct  from  the  hands 
of  an  all-wise  and  all-powerful  God  the  effect 
is  apt  to  be  deeper  and  the  action  more  pro- 
nounced. And  yet  it  is  possible  for  a  patient  of 
intelligence  to  accept  the  theory  of  individual 
godhood — the  theory  that  we  ourselves  are  the 
expressions  of  the  Divine  mind — so  fully  and  ex- 
actly that  an  equally  pronounced  result  shall  be 
obtained. 

The  curative  formtda  must  embrace  a  faith  in 
poweVy  somewhere  resident  and  ready  to  be  put 
forth  in  behalf  of  the  physical  needs. 


116  NEW    METHODS    IN    DETAIL. 

"The  signs  following"  are  always  according  to 
the  measure  of  faith  which  characterizes  the 
conditions.  There  is  no  cure  without  it  in  the 
metaphysical  field,  and  I  seriously  question  that 
there  is  cure  without  it  in  any  field.  Indeed,  it 
is  the  one  grand  condition  of  achievement  in  any 
phase  of  human  endeavor. 

But  again  some  one  asks: 
"If  faith  is  a  pre-requisite,  how  can  a  psychic 
foothold  be  obtained  in  the  instances  of  infants 
and  the  unconscious  ? " 

Have  I  not  just  quoted  from  Prof.  Barrett  a 
sufficient  answer  to  this  question  ?  ' '  Whenever 
self -consciousness  is  subdued, "  he  says,  .  .  . 
"then  an  opportunity  is  afforded  for  the  emer- 
gence of  the  'other  me.'  "  And  we  should  bear 
in  mind  that  it  is  the  "other  me"  who  does  the 
curative  work. 

The  healer  (who  should  always  be  an  edu- 
cated physician  by  preference,  but  who  has 
thus  far  been  a  layman,  owing  to  the  inane  de- 
nunciation of  psychic  methods  by  the  profession) 
— the  healer,  I  say,  in  such  a  case  has  almost 
unimpeded  access  to  the  fountains  of  subjective 
thought.  No  matter  what  the  state  of  objective 
consciousness,  the  subjective  is  supposed  always 
to  be  amenable  to  impression. 

It  is  evident  that  silence  is  a  contributing  factor 
to  potent  impression.  It  is  only  under  the  spell 
of  perfect  quiet  that  attention,  both  objective 
and  subjective — both  supraliminal  and  subliminal 
— can  best  be  commanded.  To  secure  silence 
and  attention  in  the  patient  should,  then,  consti- 
tute an  early  feature  of  every  attempt  to  prac- 
tice suggestive  therapy. 


FAITH.  117 

Faith  Is  More  Effective  That 
Has  a  Rational  Basis. 

Another  condition  of  con- 
spicuous success  in  psychic  healing  is  the  afford- 
ing of  a  rational  basis  for  beHef  in  the  measures 
proposed.  One  should  seek  to  rest  his  faith  on 
a  stable  foundation.  While  the  inexact  inves- 
tigator may  be  misled  by  the  startling  postulates 
of  enthusiasts  concerning  the  powers  of  thought, 
the  more  thorough  student  will  find  enough  clear- 
cut  and  rational  statements  of  principles  arranged 
by  those  as  capable  of  sifting  evidence  and  putting 
it  into  logical  and  exact  form  as  are  observers  in 
other  departments  of  scientific  research. 

It  is  manifestly  unfair  as  well  as  unwise  to 
suppose  that  both  the  psychic  healer  and  his  pa- 
tients are  laboring  under  the  power  of  a  delusion 
which  a  logically-constructed  syllogism  would 
quickly  dissipate. 

Energy  of  the  Suggestion. 

The  depth  and  power  of  the 
impression  is  determined,  in  large  vzeasure,  by 
the  energy  with  which  the  suggestion  is  put  forth. 
Though  it  is  contrary  to  the  rules  of  rhetoric 
to  indulge  freely  in  the  use  of  italics  and  capitals 
with  a  view  to  emphasis,  he  who  would  produce 
the  best  effect  on  the  average  reader  should 
freely  use  them.  A  monotone  is  not  impressive. 
To  excite  and  hold  the  attention  of  another  it  is 
advisable  occasionally  to  raise  the  voice  and 
pound  with  the  fist.  Write  important  thoughts 
in  LARGE  LETTERS  if  yoic  would  make 
deaf  minds  hear.  Prick  and  slap  the  listener  if 
you  would  secure  his  best  attention  to  what  you 
have  iji  mind. 


118  NEW    METHODS    IN    DETAIL. 

One  of  the  essentials,  then,  of  effective  sug- 
gestion, and  one  that  the  healer  should  make 
conspicuous  among  the  rules  governing  his  meth- 
ods, is  that  the  stiggestion  be  launched  with 
energy.  By  the  term  "energy"  I  do  not  neces- 
sarily mean  loudness  of  tone,  though  in  some  in- 
stances, and  in  treating  certain  people,  this  is  re- 
quired. But  the  suggestion  should  be  uttered  in 
tones  replete  with  nervous  tension. 

It  is  not  the  blatant  orator  who  makes  the 
best  impressions  on  all  people.  We  often  turn 
with  disgust  from  one  who  declaims  in  loud 
tones,  under  the  feehng  that  he  endeavors  to 
make  up  in  volume  of  voice  what  he  lacks  in 
quality  of  thought.  Among  some,  it  is  true,  but 
chiefly  among  the  ignorant  and  coarse,  such  a 
speaker  may  take  well. 

What  I  mean  is  that  the  suggestion,  whatever 
its  nature,  ought  to  be  uttered  in  a  voice  full  of 
earnestness  and  deep  feeling.  A  mere  whisper 
of  this  character  may  be  more  effective  than 
louder  tones. 

The  thought  that  is  being  driven  home  must  be 
clothed  in  a  garb  of  suitable  words  and  carry 
with  it  a  conscious  purpose  to  impress.  It  must 
come  from  the  mind  hot  and  vibratory  if  we  ex- 
pect it  to  have  the  designed  effect. 

Duration  of  the  Sug:§:estion. 

In  the  same  connection  it 
should  be  remembered  that  the  potency  of  the 
suggestion  is  determined  in  large  measure  not 
alone  by  the  energy  of  the  stimulus,  but  also  by 
the  duration  of  it.  Accordingly,  a  weak  drug 
action  or  a  weak  volitionary  movement  is  rela- 


HISTIONIC    SUGGESTION.  119 

tively  inefficient  but  may  still  accomplish  good  if 
long  continued. 

Another  important  factor  in  the  production  of 
curative  phenomena  is  found  in  the  selective — 
the  differential — action  of  the  stimulus,  of  which 
the  carefully-selected  remedy  is  the  best  ex- 
cimple. 

Histionic  Suggestion. 

The  term  ' '  Histionic  Sugges- 
tion "  has  been  given  by  Hudson  to  that  form  of 
suggestion  which  is  made  in  connection  with 
physical  contact.  Concerning  it  he  says: 
"Histionic  suggestion  combines  all  that  is  valuable  in 
all  other  forms  of  suggestion,  and,  moreover,  it  renders 
hypnotism  unnecessary  in  any  case." 

The  essence  of  histionic  suggestion  lies  in 
spinal  massage  in  connection  with  suitable  as- 
surance of  relief.  "The  essential  thing  to  be 
observed  in  all  cases,"  he  says,  "is  that  the 
mind  must  be  concentrated  upon  the  work  in 
hand;  otherwise  the  work  is  purely  mechanical, 
depending  for  its  efficiency  upon  mechanical 
stimulation  of  the  nerves,  the  same  as  in  ordinary 
massage.  It  is,  however,  more  efficient  than  or- 
dinary massage,  because  the  effect  is  more  di- 
rect upon  the  nerves  involved." 

Those  of  much  experience  with  massage  have 
observed  a  wide  difference  between  operators  in 
the  matter  of  salutary  effect  on  the  patient.  I 
am  satisfied  that  the  difference  finds  its  chief 
cause  in  the  degree  of  mental  concentration  and 
faith  of  the  operator. 


'  The  man  who  is  perpetually  hesitating  which  of  two  things 
he  will  do  first  will  do  neither.  The  man  who  resolves,  but 
suffers  his  resolution  to  be  changed  by  the  first  counter- 
suggestion  of  a  friend  —who  fluctuates  from  opinion  to 
opinion,  from  plan  to  plan,  and  veers  like  a  weather-cock 
to  every  point  of  the  compass,  with  every  breath  of  caprice 
that  blows— can  never  accomplish  anything  real  or  useful. 
It  is  only  the  man  who  carries  into  his  pursuits  that  great 
quality  which  Lucan  ascribes  to  Csesar.  nescia  virtus  stare 
loco— who  first  consults  wisely,  then  resolves  firmly,  and 
then  executes  his  purpose  with  inflexible  perseverance, 
undismayed  by  those  petty  difficulties  which  daunt  a  weaker 
spirit— that  can  advance  to  eminence  in  any  line." 

—  William  Wirt. 


(120) 


XII. 


THE 


Question  of  Adoption  of  Psycho- 
Therapeutics     by     the     Profession 


(121) 


"Stand  close  to  all,  but  lean  on  none, 
And  if  the  crowd  desert  you, 
Stand  just  as  fearlessly  alone 

As  if  the  throng  begirt  you ; 
And  learn,  what  long  the  wise  have  known. 
Self-flight  alone  can  hurt  you." 

—  William  S.  Shurtleff. 

"The  things  that  are  really  for  thee,  gravitate  to  thee. 
.  Oh  believe,  as  thou  livest.  that  every  sound  that  is 
spoken  over  the  round  world  which  thou  oughtest  to  hear, 
will  vibrate  on  thine  ear.  Every  proverb,  every  book, 
every  by-word  that  belongs  to  thee  for  aid  or  comfort, 
shall  surely  come  home  through  open  or  winding  passages.' 

— Emerson. 

"He  only  is  the  growing  man  who  gives  himself  repeated  op- 
portunity to  change  even  his  most  sacred  convictions." 

—Dresser. 

"A  truth  is  a  truth  no  matter  by  whom  discovered." 

—Leavitt. 

"By  their  fruits,   and  not  by  their  roots,  we  shall  know 
them." 

"Helpfulness  stands  like  a  maid  at  your  gate  ; 

Why  should  you  think  you  will  find  her  by  roving? 
Never  was  greater  mistake  than  to  hate — 
Try  loving." 


(122) 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE     QUESTION     OF     ADOPTION     OF     PSYCHO-THERA- 
PEUTICS    BY    THE     MEDICAL     PROFESSION. 

It  Belongs  to  the  Profession. 

It  belongs  to  the  med- 
ical profession  and  can  be  better  utilized  by  the 
trained  physician  and  surgeon  than  by  any  one 
else — provided  always,  however,  that  he  give  it 
the  place  it  rightly  claims  by  virtue  of  its  supe- 
rior nature  and  high  possibilities.  It  is  a  child  of 
noble  parentage  and  fine  organization,  quite  un- 
like the  gross  helps  hitherto  our  hope  and  stay. 
But  it  is  a  thing  of  energy — a  mighty  engine  of 

POWER. 

Best  of  all,  it  comes  not  to  supplant,  but  to  take 
the  materials  in  which  a  certain  degree  of  potency 
has  been  demonstrated  to  reside  and  make  of  them, 
by  virtue  of  an  alchemy  all  its  own,  things  effect- 
ual for  good. 

Says  Dr.  A.  T.  Schofield: 
"It  may  be  asked,  Why  was  not  an  attempt  made 
sooner  to  give  these  unconscious  faculties  their  proper 
place?  It  was  made  determinedly  years  ago  in  Ger- 
many and  since  then  in  England  by  men  who,  to  their 
honor,  undeterred  by  ridicule  and  contempt,  made  noble 
and  partially  successful  efforts  to  establish  the  truth. 
But  it  is  only  now  that  the  pendulum — so  long  swayed 
over  to  the  materialistic  side  of  the  world's  clock,  under 
the  pressure  of  Huxley,  Tyndall  and  others  whose  great 
works  on  this  side  (England)  led  all  men  for  a  time  to 
forget  almost  that  there  was  another — has  begun  to 
swing  back  and  men's  ears  are  now  open  to  hear  and 
their  hearts  to  believe  spirit   truths,  especially  when 

(123) 


124  THE  QUESTION  OF  ADOPTION. 

they  are   supported,   as  they  now  are,  from  the  other 
side  by  the  best  physiologists." 

The  leave7i  of  truth  has  been  at  work  and  I  ver- 
ily believe  that  the  time  is  now  ripe  for  incorpo- 
rating psycho-therapeutics  into  legitimate  med- 
ical practice.  It  is  all  a  process  of  evolution,  the 
characteristic  course  of  which  is  from  the  lower 
to  the  higher. 

Says  Hartmann  in  his  '  *  Philosophy  of  the 
Unconscious": 

**What  Schopenhauer  calls  *  unconscious  rumination  ' 
regularly  happens  to  me  when  I  have  read  a  work 
which  presents  new  points  of  view  essentially  opposed 
to  my  previous  opinions.  .  .  .  After  days, 
weeks  or  months  we  find,  to  our  astonishment,  that  the 
old  opinions  that  we  had  held  up  to  that  moment  have 
been  entirely  rearranged  and  that  new  ones  have  been 
already  lodged  there.  This  unconscious  mental  process 
of  digestion  and  assimilation  I  have  several  times  ex- 
perienced  in  my  own  case." 

Even  yet  the  advocate  of  psychic  measures 
for  human  ills  must  expect  to  suffer  more  or  less 
obloquy;  but  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  a  spirit  of 
tolerance  has  become  strongly  implanted  in  the 
professional  mind  that  the  world  has  not  been 
accustomed  to  witness.  After  all,  he  who  is  de- 
terred from  embracing  a  truth  by  fear  of  what 
others  may  think  or  say  is  a  craven. 

'  *  They  say. 

'  *  What  do  they  say  ? 

"  Let  them  say." 

The  Success  of  Charlatanry. 

Here  and  there  great 
masters  in  medicine  have  admitted  the  enormous 
value  of  mental  therapeutics,  but  the  subject  has 
not  been  followed  up  save  for  the  sake  of  filthy 
lucre  by  quackery. 


CONSERVATISM.  125 


Speaking  of  mental  therapy,  Dr.  Maudsley,  in 
his  splendid  work  entitled  "Mind  and  Body," 
says: 

"Quackery  seems  to  have  got  hold  of  a  truth  which 
legitimate  medicine  fails  to  appreciate  or  use  ad- 
equately." 

If  any  additional  evidence  were  required  to  es- 
tablish the  value  of  the  means  in  question  it 
could  easily  be  adduced  from  the  remarkable 
success  which  has  attended  the  practice  of  irreg- 
ular practitioners. 

Whe7i  zue  reflect  that  the  giant  thing  in  the 
curative  field  today  i^psycho-therapeutics),  known 
by  different  titles  because  seen  from  different 
angles  and  171  varied  light,  has  attained  its  pres- 
ent proportions  i?i  the  face  of  unmasked  derisio7t 
and  open  opposition,  there  is  just  cause  for  as- 
tonishmefit.  Schofield  is  quite  right  when  he 
says: 

"  Quackery  would  soon  come  to  an  end  and  fade  away 
before  the  spread  of  knowledge  and  the  decay  of  super- 
stition, under  the  fostering  care  of  the  School  Board 
and  the  higher  educational  system,  but  for  one  thing.  It 
can  show  real  cures,  both  undeniable  and  numerous,  in 
spite  of  the  vast  number  that  may  not  bear  scrutiny." 

Conservatism. 

Conservatism  is  a  commendable 
trait.  I  reckon  myself  a  conservative  in  my 
attitude  toward  everything  which  has  a  pro- 
nounced bearing  on  life's  methods. 

But  conservatism  which  shuts  its  eyes  to 
truth,  presenting  from  any  point  of  the  compass, 
is  reprehensible. 

Be  not  the  first  by  whom  the  new  is  tried; 
Nor  yet  the  last  to  lay  the  old  aside. 

"A  full  recognition  of  mental  causation  for  all  outward 
phenomena  will  necessitate  a  re-examination  of  systems 


126  THE  QUESTION  OF  ADOPTION. 


which  are  dignified  by  hoary  antiquity  and  eminent  re- 
spectability. Institutions  which  have  exercised  unques- 
tioned authority,  that  are  intrenched  behind  barriers  of 
intellectual  scholasticism  and  that  possess  social  and 
financial  supremacy,  instinctively  feel  that  their  infall- 
ibility is  called  into  question.  Piles  of  ponderous,  dusty 
tomes  thereby  become  relics  of  bygone  speculation. 

"  But  mental  causation  for  physical  conditions  is  in 
substantial  harmony  with  the  highest  and  best  thought 
of  the  seers  and  philosophers,  from  Plato  down  to  the 
present  time. 

"A  new  development  is  commonly  introduced  through 
much  friction  and  misapprehension,  until  at  last  it  finds 
its  true  place.  We  can  delay  a  truth  by  opposition;  but 
we  can  never  prevent  its  finding,  at  the  last,  its  appro- 
priate place.  But  what  there  is  usually  occupies  all  the 
available  space  and  the  intruder  is  told  that  'there 
is  no  room  in  the  inn.'  " — Wood. 

To  me  it  is  cause  for  astonishment  that  there 
is  SO  strong  a  prejudice  against  the  open  admis- 
sion of  the  psychic  element  into  a  system  of  cure. 
I  suppose  there  is  a  feehng  that,  were  occult 
forces  allowed  to  play  a  recognized  part  in  a 
drama  of  physical  cure,  the  profession  might 
soon  be  at  sea  and  the  whole  science  drifting,  a 
prey  to  every  wind  of  doctrine.  Such  an  ob- 
jection would  have  had  force  a  decade  or  more 
ago,  but  now  the  most  scientific  minds  are  giv- 
ing deep  study  to  psychology  and  many  have 
already  given  standing  to  certain  features  of  psy- 
chic manifestation — more  particularly  those  per- 
taining to  the  cure  of  physical  and  mental  dis- 
orders. 

But  the  prejudice  of  the  medical  mind  against 
any  suggestions  proceeding  from  an  extraneous 
source,  whether  they  concern  occult  forces  or 
not,  is  characteristic.  Scientists  were  fifty  years 
in  bringing  their  minds  to  accept  Harvey's  the- 


CONSERVATISM.  127 


ory  of  blood  circulation.  Hypnotism  was  de- 
nounced by  the  medical  profession  until  recently 
as  a  humbug  and  its  phenomena  declared  unreal. 
Even  now  there  are  many  who  beheve  it  en- 
titled to  no  credence. 

"Students  listen  with  rapt  attention,"  says  a  recent 
medical  writer,  "  to  an  account  of  the  merits  of  various 
drug  remedies  and  feel  their  fingers  itching  with  desire 
to  prescribe  them  for  sufferers,  while  the  subject  of 
mental  therapeutics  is  mentioned  only  in  ridicule  and  all 
who  advocate  their  use  are  dubbed  either  'quacks'  or 
♦Christian  Scientists.'  Why  are  these  things  so  when 
many  reputable  and  competent  men  and  women  have 
demonstrated  that  the  psychic  factor  more  than  counter- 
balances all  other  drug  remedies?" 

Let  us  beware.  Jenner  was  denounced  and 
so  was  Hahnemann.  Those  who  in  early  days 
declared  red  curtains  and  coverlets  valuable  pre- 
ventives of  pitting  in  variola  were  called  char- 
latans and  pretenders.  Our  established  conser- 
vatism and  distrust  of  new  methods  are  liable  to 
carry  us  too  far.  It  is  worthy  of  notice  that 
Niels  Finsen  of  Copenhagen,  learning  by  exper- 
iment that  red  glass  protects  patients  from  the 
actinic  rays  and  prevents  pitting  in  the  very  same 
disease,  has  finally  been  hailed  as  a  great  reformer. 
Jenner's  idea  has  been  universally  adopted  and 
Hahnemann  has  been  recognized  as  a  genuine 
contributor  to  scientific  research. 

A  degree  of  conservatism  is  to  be  encouraged, 
lest  we  fall  under  the  power  of  shams.  ' '  The 
fact  is,"  says  Canon  Wilberforce,  "that  there  is 
always  a  fringe  of  peril  around  the  skirts  of  every 
truth.  Truth  sets  free,  and  when  slaves  are 
first  emancipated  some  of  them  will  turn  liberty 
into  license." 

The  trouble  is  we  do  not  listen  to  new  propo- 


128  THE  QUESTION  OF  ADOPTION. 

sitions  with  receptive  faculties;  we  listen  with 
our  prejudices.  We  are  today  the  slaves  of  pre- 
conceived opinion.  Our  prejudices  environ  us  as 
the  walls  of  a  prison. 

I  take  it  that  the  chief  objection  raised  by  the 
medical  mind  against  accepting  psychic  remedies 
lies  in  the  fact  that  they  represent  unseen  forces 
whose  modes  of  action  are  beyond  the  ken  of 
man  in  his  present  state  of  development.  But 
such  a  prejudice  has  no  standing  before  the 
tribunal  of  reason.  We  use  drug  remedies  freely, 
but  who  has  the  temerity  to  allege  that  he  under- 
stands the  basis  of  the  selective  affinity  of  certain 
drugs  for  certain  organs  and  tissues,  or  even  why 
chemical  action  follows  a  prescribed  and  invari- 
able course? 

The  power  in  either  case  is  inscrutibley  esoteric, 
and,  in  a  sense,  spiritual.  The  only  essential  dif- 
ference is  that  in  one  case  the  physical  sense 
perceives  the  material  embodiment  or  expression 
of  the  energy  and  in  the  other  the  psychic  sense 
is  the  only  percipient;  but  can  one  say  that  the 
latter  is  not  just  as  reliable  as  the  former  ? 

Some  are  slow  to  learn  because  of  present  con- 
tentment with  their  meager  attainments.  Many 
people  come  to  the  threshold  of  knowledge  with 
much  the  feeling  of  the  boy  who,  when  asked 
by  a  visiting  official  why  he  came  to  school,  re- 
plied that  he  came  there  to  sit  and  wait  for 
school  to  let  out. 

Too  Much  Fractional 
Teaching  and  Practice. 

There  is  altogether  too  much 
fractional  teaching  in  all  departments  of  learning. 
One  finds  in  the  observance  of  certain  dietary 


THE  RATIONAL  ATTITUDE.  129 

rules  great  relief  of  one's  particular  ailment  which 
may  have  been  due  to  imperfect  alimentation. 
The  rules  adopted,  because  well  suited  to  that 
particular  case,  effect  a  cure,  and  the  subject  at 
once  jumps  to  the  conclusion  that  the  same  thing 
is  a  cure  for  undifferentiated  ailments.  Another 
finds  in  mental  culture  what  he  converts  into  a 
panacea. 

There  is  a  woeful  lack  of  discrimination  in  our 
ranks  as  well  as  outside  them.  Cases  ought  to 
be  more  carefully  scrutinized  and  a  systematic 
course  of  treatment  then  adopted. 

The  Rational  Attitude. 

The  owl  is  like  some  men, 

He's  rated  wise,  but  not 
For  things  he  ever  did, 

Or  thoughts  he  ever  thought. 

And,  like  some  men  I  know, 

And  men  that  you  know,  too. 

The  owl  just  sits  and  hoots 
At  things  that  others  do. 

We  must  expect  to  run  across  many  human 
owls,  but  the  rational  attitude  toward  psycho- 
therapeutics ought  to  be  assumed  by  the  pro- 
fession without  regard  to  them.  That  attitude  is 
(1)  one  of  willingness  to  be  convinced  and  (2) 
one  of  purpose  to  utilize  when  convinced.  It 
requires  unusual  courage  to  face  the  abnormal 
prejudice  against  the  possibility  of  cure  of  phys- 
ical ills  by  psychic  means  that  fills  the  average 
medical  mind,  since  one  knows  that  by  advocat- 
ing psychic  claims  he  subjects  himself  to  the 
contumely  of  the  general  body  of  the   medical 


130  THE  QUESTION  OF  ADOPTION. 

profession.     But  this  consideration  ought  not  to 
deter  us. 

Buxton  wisely  says: 
"The  longer  I  live  the  more  I  am  certain  that  the  great 
difference  between  men,  between  the  feeble  and  the 
powerful,  the  great  knd  the  insignificant,  is  energy — in- 
vincible determination;  a  purpose  once  fixed,  and,  then, 
death  or  victory.  That  quality  will  do  anything  which 
can  be  done  in  this  world;  and  no  talents  or  circum- 
stances— no  opportunities — will  make  a  two-legged 
creature  a  Man  without  it." 

Certain  Concessions. 

There  are  many,  in  all  the 
schools  of  medical  practice,  who  concede  to 
psychic  measures  a  degree  of  curative  influence. 
Some  have  gone  so  far  as  to  commend  psycho- 
therapeutics to  certain  patients  possessed  of  im- 
aginary ailments,  under  the  conviction  that  it 
will  cure  "when  there  is  nothing  the  matter." 
Few,  very  few,  are  willing  to  concede  more. 

To  all  such  I  commend  a  perusal  of  the  fol- 
lowing from  the  pen  of  Edward  T.  Bennett,  who 
was  for  many  years  Assistant  Secretary  of  the 
Psychic  Research  Society  of  Great  Britain. 
What  he  says  is  based  on  the  scientific  inquiries 
made  by  the  society  into  the  question  of  cure  of 
disease  by  mental  therapeutics: 
'*  An  attempt  has  been  made  to  draw  a  line  between 
nervous  cases,  or  cases  due  more  or  less  to  the  imagina- 
tion, and  actual  physical  or  organic  cases.  It  has  been 
alleged  that  only  the  former  class  are  amenable  to  psy- 
chic treatment.  But  experience  does  not  justify  this  conclu- 
sion. Physical  and  organic  effects,  even  diseases,  can  be 
caused  simply  by  mental  impression.  It  seems,  there- 
fore, unreasonable  to  reject  the  idea  that  mental  treat- 
ment may  be  efficacious  as  a  remedial  agent,  not  only 
in  nervous  disorders  and  in  what  may  be  called  imagi- 
nary ailments,  but  also  in  cases  of  organic  disease,  even 


NOT  SUITED  TO  ALL.  131 


in  cases  which  under   ordinary   circumstances   require 
surgical  treatment." 

It  may  be  worth  while  also  to  consider  the  fol- 
lowing: 

Bosanquet  believes  that  tumor-formation  may 
be  ascribed  to  the  breaking  loose  of  certain  cells 
from  their  nervotis  control.  It  is  well  established 
that  glandular  activity,  and  probably  the  nutri- 
ment of  many  other  forms  of  cells,  are  under  the 
control  of  the  nervous  system.  Should  this  con- 
trol be  lost,  it  is  conceivable  that,  instead  of  at- 
rophy, excessive  growth  may  result,  limited  in 
extent  only  by  the  amount  of  nutriment  sup- 
plied the  cells. 

My  own  observation  in  a  number  of  cases  con- 
firms the  growing  conviction  that  the  scope  of 
psycho-therapy  is  not  limited  to  neuroses. 

Prof.  James  thinks  that  the  dividing  line  be- 
tween troubles  classified  as  "nervous"  and  those 
known  as  "organic,"  is  an  arbitrary  one,  as  the 
nerves  control  the  entire  economy.  Hence  on 
the. whole  he  is  "inclined  to  think  that  the  heal- 
ing action,  like  the  morbid  one,  springs  from  the 
plane  of  the  normally  unconscious  mind." 

Psycho-Therapeutics  in  Its 
Purity  Not  Suited  to  All. 

There  is  a  large  body  of 
people  in  every  community  whose  intellectual 
senses  are  so  dull  and  whose  powers  of  reasoning 
are  so  deficient  that  they  can  comprehend  the 
action  of  naught  but  the  gross  and  materialistic. 
The  only  way  to  reach  their  minds  and  produce 
an  effect  is  through  their  physical  senses.  A 
concept  of  energy  that  transcends  the  physical, 
and  that  is  by  far  the  most  potential,  is  out  of 


132  THE  QUESTION  OF  ADOPTION. 

their  power.  Such  people  must  be  given  faith 
props.  They  cannot  walk  without  crutches. 
They  can  be  healed  only  through  the  interven- 
tion of  media,  such  as  drugs,  instruments,  appli- 
cations, etc.  This  difference  was  clearly  exem- 
plified in  the  blind  man  whose  sight  was  restored 
by  the  Great  Physician  and  the  Centurion 
whose  servant  was  healed.  In  the  first  instance 
Jesus  applied  wet  clay  and  required  the  man  to 
go  and  wash  in  the  pool,  while  in  the  other  he 
merely  spoke  the  healing  word. 

To  my  mind  it  is  as  legitimate  to  exhibit  the 
drug  in  such  cases  of  mental  dullness,  or  to  re- 
sort to  any  artifice  with  a  view  to  impressing,  as 
it  is  to  administer  a  stimulant  to  one  in  a  state  of 
physical  depression.  We  can  in  no  case  add  to 
the  potential  energy  of  the  patient;  we  can  only 
stir  into  renewed  activity  the  powers  that  he  al- 
ready possesses. 

It  is  among  the  ignorant  that  we  are  oftenest 
put  to  our  wits  ends  to  fix  upon  the  most  effect- 
ual course.  Speak  to  such  a  one  of  esoteric 
power,  or  even  undertake  to  secure  the  co-opera- 
tion of  his  mental  energies  in  the  curative  effort, 
and  the  attempt  would  be  regarded  as  an  offense. 
Subterfuge  is  in  such  cases  a  legitimate  resource. 

At  the  same  time  one  who  accepts  the  tenets 
pertaining  to  mental  medicine  need  not  despair 
of  ultimate  triumph  of  the  truth  even  among  the 
ignorant.  But  in  order  to  succeed  he  will  have  to 
study  pedagogy  in  the  hard  school  of  experience. 
The  mission  of  the  medical  man  embraces  the 
teaching  of  a  knowledge  of  both  the  prevention 
and  the  cure  of  disease. 

It  must  then  be  understood  that  the  ultimate 
aim  in  all  cases  should  be  to  bring  one's  clientele 


NOT  SUITED  TO  ALL.  133 

to  a  point  of  development  where  curative  meas- 
ures will  rarely  be  required. 

This  means,  surely  enough,  a  curtailment  of 
business  and  a  great  reduction  in  the  relative  num- 
ber of  medical  practitioners.  It  means  for  many 
a  dwindling  practice  and  a  necessity  for  change 
of  Evocation.  At  the  same  time  it  means  an 
ushering  in  of  a  Millennial  Dawn.  The  idea 
may  be  Utopian,  and  yet,  from  the  present  trend 
of  events,  we  are  justified  in  looking  for  a  consum- 
mation so  devoutly  to  be  desired  by  humanity. 

Inasmuch  as  such  a  result  cannot  be  expected 
in  our  day,  we  must  face  the  problem  of  cure  as 
it  now  presents.  All  treatment,  to  effect  the 
best  purpose,  must  therefore  at  present  be  of  a 
mixed  type.  We  require  all  possible  aid  from 
the  action  of  laws  operating  on  the  physical  plane. 

SURGERY  AND  DRUGS  AND  MASSAGE  AND  ELECTRIC- 
ITY AND  A  HUNDRED  OTHER  ELEMENTS  MUST  EN- 
TER INTO  OUR  METHODS,  BUT  THEY  SHOULD  NOT,  AS 
IN  THE  PAST,  CONSTITUTE  OUR  ONLY  MEANS  OF  CURE. 

We  should  enlist  the  valuable  aid  of  the  forces 
resident  on  the  planes  above,  which  truly  in 
great  measure  give  the  forces  of  the  physical 
plane  their  power. 

Above  all  else,  and  by  means  of  every  measure 
employed,  we  should  endeavor  to  awaken  our 
patieiits  to  a  realization  of  the  unlim,ited  powers 
residing  within  themselves. 

I 
Irrational   Claims  of  Certain 
Advocates  of  Esoteric  Methods. 

The  most  egregious 
error  of  those  who  advocate  psychic  healing  is 
found  in  their  fanatical  claims  of  the  all-efficiency 
of  their  measures  and  their  attitude  of  defiance  of 


134  THE  QUESTION  OF  ADOPTION. 

well-recognized  rules  for  sanitary  living.  They 
often  frantically  fly  in  the  face  of  the  Almighty 
and  question  the  good  effect  of  many  well-deter- 
mined natural  laws. 

This  is  a  characteristic  of  faith  not  guided  by 
reason.  The  eternal  laws  never  conflict  and  we 
should  seek  to  work  through  them  and  not 
against  them.  But  enthusiasts  are  apt  to  be 
carried  off  their  feet  by  startHng  truths.  *Tf 
mind  is  superior  to  matter,"  say  they,  "we 
should  ignore  the  laws  which  are  supposed  to 
govern  it  and  thereby  bring  it  into  perfect  sub- 
jection,"  evidently  forgetting  that  we  live  on 
three  planes — the  spiritual,  the  mental  and  the 
physical.  The  laws  of  the  superior  planes  do  ex- 
ercise a  tremendozcs  influence  over  the  lower  plane, 
but  the  control  is  not  absolute  and  unequivocal.  Each 
plane  has  its  laws  and  even  the  admittedly  supe- 
rior cannot  be  said  to  usurp  all  authority. 

SPIRITUAL  _ 

MENTAL ^_^ 


PHYSICAL^^___^_^__^^___^ 
FiQUBB  8.    The  Three  Planes  of  Life. 

Interaction  Between 
Mind  and  Body. 

"It  is  all  a  matter  of  mind, "  says 
Eugene  Sandow.  "If  you  concentrate  your 
mind  upon  a  single  muscle  or  set  of  muscles  for 
three  minutes  each  day  and  say :  '  Do  this, '  and 
make  them  respond  to  contraction,  there  will  be 
immediate  noticeable  improvement.  The  whole 
secret  of  my  system  Hes  in  the  knowledge  of  hu- 


IS  PSYCHO-THERAPY  EFFECTUAL?  135 

man  anatomy — in  knowing  just  where  one  is 
weak,  and  going  straight  to  work  bringing  that  par- 
ticular part  up  to  the  standard  of  one's  best  feature. 
As  a  chain  is  as  strong  only  as  its  weakest  link, 
so  is  the  body  as  strong  only  as  its  weakest 
member.  There  is  nothing  that  will  make  a  man 
strong  save  his  own  concentration  of  thought. " 

In  this  same  connection  I  am  constrained  to 
quote  from  Prof.  James  concerning  the  inter- 
action of  mind  and  body.  He  says: 
"AH  mental  states,  no  matter  what- their  character  as 
regards  utility,  should  be  followed  by  bodily  activity  of 
some  sort,  for  all  states  of  mind  are  motor  in  consequences. 
The  immediate  condition  of  a  slate  of  consciousness  is  an 
activity  of  some  sort  in  the  cerebral  hemispheres." 


SPIRITUAL 


MENTAL 


-PHYSICAL 
FiGUEE  9.    The  Planes  of  Life  with  Lines  of  Communication. 

Is  Psycho-Therapy  Effectual? 

Doctors  have  fallen  into 
a  way  of  casting  doubt  on  the  claims  made  by 
mental  healers.  '  'Imaginary  ailments!  "  * '  Wrong 
diagnosis  /  "  '  'Not  yet  cured!  "  "  Self -deceived!  " 
' '  Wait  and  see!  "  *  'I knew  a  case  in  whicJi  they 
failed!  "  These  are  some  of  the  greetings  that 
we  have  been  accustomed  to  give  to  reports  of 
alleged  cures.  Are  mental  cures  never  wrought  ? 
Do  we  not  know  many  cases  wherein  a  cure  has 
been  apparently  made  ?  Are  we  absolutely  sure 
that  ozcr  methods  have  been  often  curative  ? 

I  mention  no  particular  cult,  as  I  am  fully  con- 
vinced  that  the  basic  principle  of  cure  is  the 


136  THE  QUESTION  OF  ADOPTION. 

same  among  them  all    though  each  would  deny 
the  assertion. 

"All  these  modes  of  producing  or  removing  disease 
have  so  thorough  a  prima  facie  resemblance  that  we  may 
be  reasonably  confident  of  actual  community  between 
them  in  some  underlying  law  of  nature." — Prof.  Coe. 

As  for  myself  I  do  not  rely  upon  the  testimony 
of  others,  though  much  of  a  reliable  nature  can 
be  cited,  but  upon  my  own  experience,  i  can 
BUT  BELIEVE  WHAT  MY  EYES  HAVE  SEEN.  Remarkable 
cures  are  daily  wrought  by  psychic  means:  of  this 
I  have  710  doubt. 

*'If  there  ever  was  a  day,"  says  Prof.  Coe  in  his 
"Spiritual  Life,"  "when  the  evidence  thus  offered  could 
properly  be  put  aside  with  a  sneer  at  human  credulity, 
that  day  has  gone.  These  things  are  not  done  in  a  cor- 
ner. On  every  hand  we  are  invited  to  come  and  see, 
and  any  disposition  which  may  be  shown  io  ignore  the  facts 
thus  open  to  observation,  while  at  the  same  time  wholly  con- 
demning the  beliefs  in  the  name  of  which  they  are  wrought, 
leads  to  a  just  charge  of  prejudice  and  lack  of  scientific 
method.  In  fact,  the  evidence  of  most  remarkable  cures  of 
healing  under  all  these  systems  of  belief  is  so  abundant  that  I 
shall  not  hesitate  to  assume  without  argument  that  we  are  here 
dealing  with  one  or  more  genuine  curative  agencies." 


PART   TWO. 

THE 
PRACTICE   OF  PSYCHO-THERAPY. 


**  To  speak  with  authority  from  experience — not  to 
argue,  but  to  demonstrate — to  do,  and  to  be — these  are 
'methods'  that  can  be  understood  by  the  most  skep- 
tical." 

(137) 


I. 


Preliminary  Observations 


(139) 


'  We  have  to  meet  people  on  many  and  varied  planes  of 
development,  and  we  should  learn  so  to  accommodate  our 
methods  to  their  individual  needs  that  all  who  apply  to  ns 
for  aid  may  receive  the  very  best  that  can  be  given  to  them 
in  their  particular  environment." 


'  Thought  is  the  most  potent  of  all  occult  forces.  When 
utilized  in  concentrated  and  persistent  effort  it  becomes 
the  world's  most  dangerous  or  most  beneficial  weapon.  We 
should  beware  how  we  use  it." 


'  Mental  therapeutics  may  be  applied  (1)  by  indirect  action 
of  the  unconscious  mind  through  the  influence  of  sanitary 
and  cheerful  surroundings,  (2)  by  awakening  faith  in  vari- 
ous means  which  appeal  directly  to  the  objective  sense,  (3) 
by  direct  action  of  the  objective  mind  on  the  subjective 
through  the  use  of  reiterated  affirmations,  and  (4)  by  the 
direct  effect  of  the  objective  mind  of  the  physician  upon 
the  subjective  mind  of  the  patient."— Leauitt. 


040) 


THE   INCLINED   PLANE. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PRELIMINARY  OBSERVATIONS. 

Thus  far  in  our  study  of  Mental  Therapeutics 
I  have  attempted  to  establish  its  value  as  a 
means  of  cure  by  adducing  rational  evidence  in 
its  behalf.  It  now  becomes  my  duty  to  point 
out  the  manner  of  its  use  best  suited  to  legiti- 
mate practice. 

Thought    Runs   in 
Customary  Grooves. 

Generally  speaking,  the  interpre- 
tation put  upon  an  impression  is  the  customary 
one:  it  is  the  interpretation  usually  made  by  the 
subjective  mind  when  experiencing  an  identical 
impression  or  one  which  simulates  it.  If  the 
finger  be  pricked  by  accident,  the  pain  is  inter- 
preted to  mean  that  our  hand  is  in  the  path  of 
harm,  and,  without  conscious  thought,  we  jerk  it 
away.  Should  we  deliberately  prick  the  finger, 
there  would  be  experienced  a  strong  impulse  to 
withdraw  it,  and,  if  self-control  be  poor,  we 
should  scarcely  be  able  to  hold  it  still.  The 
mind  has  become  so  accustomed  to  certain  inter- 
pretations that  it  is  at  first  reluctant  to  accept 
new  interpretations  of  the  sensation  experienced. 
Now  repeat  the  voluntary  infliction  of  pain  from 
hour  to  hour  or  from  day  to  day  and  ultimately 
the  subjective  will  acquire  so  great  facility  for 
traversing  the  new  channels  that  self-control  will 
become  an  easy  thing.     Any  one  can  train  him- 

fUl) 


142  PRELIMINARY  OBSERVATIONS. 

self  to  bear  voluntarily  inflicted  pain  without 
flinching.  IVhat  is  more,  the  painful  interpreta- 
tio7is  of  stimuli  viay  be  brought  under  such  com- 
plete control  that  the  sensatioii  of  pain  itself  can 
be  inhibited  at  will.  Like  Lord  Nelson  in  the 
battle  of  Copenhagen,  we  can  learn  to  turn  our 
bhnd  eye  to  it  and  say:  "I  do  not  see  it." 

The  mind  in  most  people  has  been  left  to  put 
upon  impressions  such  interpretations  as  it  may 
choose,  or  such  as  early  training  or  race  tenden- 
cies may  suggest.  Awaken  a  sensation  (all 
thought  is  based  upon  sensation)  in  such  a  one 
and  the  thought  will  at  once  start  on  its  custom- 
ary course.  The  course  may  be  represented  by 
shallow  channels,  or  the  mind  may  have  been 
deeply  plowed  by  some  startling  experience  or  by 
long  use.  In  any  event  the  channels  are  there 
and  thought  will  follow  them  rather  than  new 
ones.  A  cry  of  "fire"  will  thus  set  one  who  has 
at  some  time,  from  such  a  cause,  experienced  a 
profound  sweep  of  fear,  through  the  mind,  mto 
the  greatest  agitation.  The  subjective  faculties 
of  the  horse  are  so  grooved  by  a  runaway  that 
no  amount  of  training  can  ever  wholly  obliterate 
the  lines  and  enable  thought  to  cut  more  rational 
channels. 

In  the  case  of  a  person  whose  mind  has  become 
reticulated  by  unwholesome  lines  of  thought  and 
his  conduct  by  consequent  physical  action,  there 
is  abundant  work  for  the  patient  teacher  in  giv- 
ing direction  and  inspiration ;  and  there  is  far  more 
work  for  the  awakened  ego  in  insisting  upon 
order  and  reason  in  his  conscious  and  unconscious 
mentation.  Btit  tJie  reward  is  sure,  for  success 
is  bound  to  follow  patient  and  persevering  en- 
deavor. 


AFFIRMATION. 


143 


Affirmation  the  Method 
Conferring:  Best  Results. 

Let  us  turn  for  a  moment 
to  a  consideration  of  the  modus  opermidi  of  sug- 
gestive curative  effects. 


FiGTTEE  10,     A  Diagrammatic  Eepresentation  of  the  Curative  Effects  of 
Suggestion, 

Let  O  represent  the  cerebral  center.  A  is  a  dead  level  of  the 
accustomed  stimulus,  whether  it  be  fear,  unwholesome  environment, 
or  spontaneous  suggestion.  B  is  the  affirmation  by  means  of  ^vhich, 
through  reiteration,  we  hope  to  effect  a  change  in  the  thought;  and 
C  the  unsteady  support  given  the  sugsestion  by  conduct,  a  is  the  cus- 
tomary channel  pursued  by  thought  under  the  power  of  stimulus, 
bl,  b2  and  b3  represent  the  gradually  deflecting  lines  of  thought, 
approaching  nearer  and  nearer  to  steadiness,  resulting  from  the 
repeated  affirmation.     Lastly,  B4  is  the  completed  and  steady  result. 

The  essential  features  are  recognized  as  (1)  an  affirmation  or  a 
suggestion  properly  made  and  (2)  the  corresponding  conduct. 

It  is  essential  that  the  signilicance  of  these  be  made  clear. 

A  suggestion,  whether  given  to  one's  self  or  to 
another,  is  commonly  in  the  form  of  an  affirma- 
tion. For  example,  when  treating  myself  I  may 
administer  the  suggestion  in  the  following  words : 
"I  am  well. "  This  I  repeat  time  and  again  with 
a  view  to  impress.  Now,  if  I  go  about  with  my 
usual  tale  of  woe,  and  with  pain  and  anxiety 
depicted  in  my  countenance,  it  will  be  evident 
that  I  am  not  giving  voluntary  support  to  the 
suggestion. 

If,  on  the  contrary,  I  not  only  affirm  that  I  am 


144  PRELIMINARY  OBSERVATIONS. 

well  at  the  time  of  the  treatment,  but  also  at  all 
other  times,  and  compel  my  actions,  as  far  as 
possible,  to  sustain  the  affirmation,  I  am  then 
giving  full  force  to  the  treatment. 

If  I  am  treating  another,  and,  after  solemnly 
affirming  that  the  essential  features  of  the  ail- 
ment are  rapidly  subsiding  I  show  by  my  sub- 
sequent conduct  that  the  affirmation  does  not 
represent  my  true  conviction,  I  am  not  giving 
full  value  to  the  treatment. 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  best  effect  of  such 
treatment  can  be  obtained  only  by  the  co-oper- 
ation of  both  word  and  action. 

The  suggestion  is  to  be  taken  by  the  subjective 
faculties  as  literal  tmtth,  and  we  should  in  no  way 
convey  an  impression  of  insincerity. 

At  the  risk  of  apparent  digression  I  shall  take 
occasion  to  correct  a  seeming  incongruity  that 
may  otherwise  trouble  consistent  minds. 

The  question  is  asked: 

"Are  you  not,  by  such  an  affirmation,  pro- 
claiming an  untruth  ?  and  if  so  do  you  seek  to 
justify  it  on  the  plea  of  necessity?" 

In  answering  the  first  question  the  value  of 
the  second  is  destroyed;  for  my  reply  is,  that 
there  is  no  untruth  in  the  affirmation.  The 
position  taken  by  the  suggester  is  that,  since 
physical  disturbance  in  its  origin  may  be  said  to 
"spring  from  the  plane  of  the  normal  uncon- 
sciousness, "  the  disturbance,  in  its  essence,  is 
nothing  more  than  mere  dis-ease,  and,  therefore, 
not  to  be  regarded  as  an  entity. 

The  subconsciousness  is  logically  exact  in  its 
deductive  processes,  and  is  profoundly  intelligent 
in  all  its  action ;  but  it  appears  to  lack  inductive 
power.       Its   premises   are   suppHed   either    by 


CUE    FROM    CONDUCT.  145 

environment,    by  incidental  experiences,   or   by 
the  conscious  mind. 

Give  it  the  premise  and  it  will  do  the  rest. 

The  Subjective  May  Take 
Its  Cue  from  the  Conduct. 

Cheerful  moods  are  con- 
ducive to  physical  health,  and  may  constitute 
the  only  necessary  suggestion.  A  happy  man 
is  a  well  man.  This  is  a  rule  with  few  excep- 
tions. Accordingly  it  is  the  part  of  wisdom  to 
cultivate  a  flow  of  joyful  emotions.  We  all  seek 
to  do  this  after  our  own  fashion,  but  haphazard 
methods  are  not  often  either  wise  or  efficient. 

It  is  here  that  affirmation  can  pave  the  way  to 
success.  If  we  will  persistently  declare,  what- 
ever the  feeling  of  the  moment,  that  we  really 
are  happy,  and  follow  up  the  affirmation  with 
corresponding  conduct,  we  shall  surely  prevail 
over  our  morbid  emotions. 

The  fact  that  bodily  attitudes  and  cheerful 
behavior  tend  to  awaken  corresponding  emo- 
tions in  the  mind  is  not  generally  appreciated. 
We  may  affirm  as  long  as  we  will,  and  with  as 
great  energy  as  we  can  command,  but  if  we  do 
not  fit  to  ourselves  conduct  becoming  to  our 
claims  there  will  be  no  proper  effect. 

"Refuse  to  express  a  passion  and  it  dies"  is 
an  axiom  among  scientific  observers  of  mento- 
physical  phenomena.  Refiise  to  live  an  affirma- 
tion and  it  is  shorn  of  power,  is  equally  trtie. 

Says  Prof.  James: 
*»  If  we  wish  to  conquer  undesirable  emotional  ten- 
dencies in  ourselves  we  must  assiduously,  and  in  the 
first  instance  cold-bloodedly,  go  through  the  outward 
movements  of  those  contrary  dispositions  which  we  prefer 
to  cultivate.       The  reward  of  persistency    will  infallibly 


146  PRELIMINARY    OBSERVATIONS. 

fomey  in  the  fading  out  of  the  sullenness  or  depression, 
and  the  advent  of  real  cheerfulness  and  kindliness  in 
their  stead.  Smooth  the  brow,  brighten  the  eye,  con- 
tract the  dorsal,  rather  than  the  ventral,  aspect  of  the 
frame,  and  speak  in  a  major  key,  pass  the  genial  com- 
pliment, and  your  heart  must  be  frigid  indeed  if  it  do 
not  gradually  thaw." 

The  patient  is  encouraged  to  affirm  health  and 
strength,  but  he  does  not  at  first  dare  to  affirm 
them  in  their  fullness  of  present  possession,  but 
as  steadily  and  surely  developi7ig.  This  leaves  a 
loophole  through  which  find  entrance  many 
excuses  for  still  acting  the  part  of  one  not  freed 
from  his  old  aches  and  pains,  his  weaknesses  and 
other  disabilities.  It  is  like  breaking  a  controlling 
habit,  like  that  of  drink,  by  degrees ;  both  usually 
end  in  failure. 

If  now,  instead  of  such  half-way  claims,  he 
declares  himself  well  (not  actually,  but  potenti- 
ally) he  finds  less  excuse  for  the  ways  of  a  sick 
man,  and,  with  fitting  behavior,    becomes  well. 

To  get  prompt  and  efficient  results  the  patient 
must  be  encouraged  to  throw  all  his  zeal  and 
fidelity  into  both  affirmation  and  action. 

Let  me  now  change  figure  10  so  as  to  repre- 
sent consistent  conduct  by  a  straight  line  and 
the  results  of  the  operating  causes  by  lines  show- 
ing   greater   steadiness,    and   we   have   a    good 


FiGTTKE  11.    A  Diagrammatic  Representation  of  the  CaratiTO  Effects  of 
Suggestion  when  Sustained  by  Consistent  Conduct. 


EXAMPLES.  147 


schematic     representation     of    the    process    of 
psychic  heahng. 

Examples  of  Powerful  Suggestion. 

I  quote  two  or  three 
examples  of  the  effect  of  suggestion,  not  because 
they  are  exceptionally  marked  nor  because  the 
cases  selected  are  any  better  than  many  wit- 
nessed in  my  own  practice,  but  because  they  are 
found  in  a  dignified  work  on  Psychology  by  a 
Yale  professor: 

"Warts  have  been  charmed  away  by  medicines  which 
could  have  had  only  a  mental  effect.  Dr.  Tuke  gives 
many  cases  of  patients  cured  of  rheumatism  by  rubbing 
them  with  a  certain  substance  declared  to  possess  magic 
power.  The  material  in  some  cases  was  metal;  in 
others,  wood,  in  still  others,  wax.  He  also  recites  the 
case  of  a  very  intelligent  officer  who  had  vainly  taken 
powerful  remedies  to  cure  cramp  in  the  stomach.  Then 
<  he  was  told  that  on  the  next  attack  he  would  be  put 
under  a  medicme  which  was  generally  believed  to  be 
most  effective,  but  which  was  rarely  used.'  When  the 
cramps  came  on  again,  *a  powder  containing  four  grains 
of  ground  biscuit  was  administered  every  seven  minutes, 
while  the  greatest  anxiety  was  expressed  (^within  the 
hearing  of  the  party)  lest  too  much  should  be  given. 
Half-drachm  doses  of  bismuth  had  never  procured  the 
same  relief  in  less  than  three  hours.  For  four  succes- 
sive times  did  the  same  kind  of  attack  recur,  and  four 
times  was  it  met  by  the  same  remedy,  and  with  like 
success.' 

"  A  house  surgeon  in  a  French  hospital  experimented 
with  one  hundred  patients,  giving  them  sugared  water. 
Then,  with  a  great  show  of  fear,  he  pretended  that  he 
had  made  a  mistake  and  given  them  an  emetic  instead 
of  the  proper  medicine.  Dr.  Tuke  says:  *  The  result 
may  easily  be  anticipated  by  those  who  can  estimate  the 
influence  of  the  imagination.  No  fewer  than  eighty — 
four-fifths — were  unmistakably  sick.' 

"  We  have  a  well  authenticated  case  of  a  butcher  who, 
while  trying  to  hang  up  a  heavy  piece  of  meat,  slipped 


148  PRELIMINARY   OBSERVATIONS. 

and  was  himself  caught  by  the  arm  upon  the  hook. 
When  he  was  taken  to  a  surgeon  the  butcher  said  he 
was  suffering  so  much  that  he  could  not  endure  the 
removal  of  his  coat;  the  sleeve  must  be  cut  off.  When 
this  was  done  it  was  found  that  the  hook  had  passed 
through  his  clothing  close  to  the  skin,  but  had  not  even 
scratched  it." 

There  is  no  longer  any  doubt  in  the  minds  of 
intelligent  students  of  psychic  phenomena  that 
the  imagination  is  not  only  a  fruitful  source  of 
physical  pain  and  organic  disturbance,  but  that 
it  can  also  be  turned  into  a  most  valuable  agent 
in  the  recovery  of  health. 

The  problems  to  be  solved  are  (1)  how  to  com- 
mand its  most  efficient  aid  and  (2)  to  learn  its 
true  limitations. 


II. 


The  Practice  of   Psycho-Therapy 

(continued) 


(149) 


*'  We  should  do  the  very  things  that  we  dislike  to  do.    WhyT 

Because  of  the  mental  discipline  involved. 
"  We  should  set  ourselves  hard  tasks  and  then  resolutely 

perform  them." — Leavitt. 

"  Don't  worrj'.  Whenever  you  are  tempted  to  do  so,  play 
bufiFoon,  or  recall  the  funniest  story  you  know.  Bury  your 
self  in  humor;  laugh,  assert  your  will ;  shout  to  your  soul, 
'i  will  not  worry.'  "—Frank  C.  Haddock. 

*'  I  am  confident  that  I  can  fix  my  attention  to  a  part  until 
I  have  a  sensation  in  that  part." — John  Hunter. 


(150) 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE  PRACTICE  OF  PSYCHO-THERAPY— Continued. 
THE  PRACTICE  OF  AUTO-SUGGESTIOH. 

Suggestion  is  one  and  the  same  process  under 
all  circumstances.  It  matters  not  whether  the 
suggestion  be  directed  to  one's  self  or  to  another ; 
the  principles  of  application,  and  the  attendant 
phenomena,  are  substantially  the  same. 

Very  much  concerning  the  effectual  use  of  it 
in  the  treatment  of  others  has  been  learned  from 
the  phenomena  attending  its  use  upon  self. 

It  is  not  my  purpose  to  discuss  in  this  place 
the  theories  that  have  been  put  forth  to  account 
for  the  astonishing  effects  produced.  They  are 
explicable  to  me  only  on  the  hypothesis  of  men- 
tal duality,  which,  under  the  proper  conditions, 
has  shown  itself  still  more  clearly  in  the  develop- 
ment of  the  evidences  of  secondary  personality. 

For  our  present  purpose  it  is  enough  to  know 
that  the  phenomena  associated  with  suggestion 
in  others,  even  to  the  induction  of  hypnosis,  can 
likewise  be  produced  in  self. 

It  should  be  understood  at  the  start  that  the 
same  variation  in  the  degrees  of  susceptibility 
found  in  practicing  suggestion  upon  others  is 
disclosed  in  attempting  to  use  it  upon  self. 

There  are  sensitives  and  non-sensitives.  One 
finds  it  easy  to  produce  effects  upon  himself,  and 
another  finds  it  exceedingly  difficult,  or  even,  for 
the  time,  impossible.     There  is  this  distinguish- 

(151) 


152  THE  PRACTICE  OF  PSYCHO-THERAPY. 

able  difference:  the  highly-wrought,  hypersensi- 
tive, nervous  man  or  woman,  whose  fancies  and 
sensations  have  been  long  under  the  dominion  of 
habitual  and  special  environment,  finds  it  impos- 
sible at  first  to  acquire  sufficient  self-command  to 
meet  the  requirements  of  auto-suggestion.  Such 
a  one  requires  discipline  at  the  hands  of  another 
in  order  to  develop  the  necessary  mental  grip 
which  conditions  the  phenomena  in  question. 

It  will  be  gathered  from  this  that  the  power  to 
bring  one's  self  under  the  spell  of  suggestion  is 
true  power.  Those  who  have  acquired  the  high- 
est degree  of  self-control  are  the  very  individuals 
who  find  it  the  easiest  to  mold  their  experiences 
to  their  hking.  Nor  is  it  the  weak  in  mind  who 
respond  most  easily  to  suggestive  treatment  by 
others.  For  this  reason  it  is  found  peculiarly 
difficult  to  bring  an  idiot  or  an  insane  person  un- 
der power  of  suggestion.  It  can  be  done,  how- 
ever, by  appeals  to  the  subconscious  mind  syste- 
matically and  discreetty  made.  Those  who  be- 
come proficient  in  the  practice  of  this  method  of 
cure  are  always  able  to  demonstrate  the  truth  of 
what  I  have  postulated.  One  can  easily  put  the 
claim  to  the  test  in  the  laboratory  of  clinical  ex- 
perience. 

In  order  to  acquire  the  best  results  in  auto- 
suggestion it  is  essential  that  we  understand 
before  we  begin  what  experiences  are  to  be  ex- 
pected and  the  conditions  of  receptivity  involved. 
The  mind  is  taken  up  with  a  great  variety  of 
diverting  events.  Our  environment  is  continu- 
ally changing,  and  the  ether  teems  with  influ- 
ences which  markedly  determine  and  condition 
our  experiences.  It  is  evident  that  we  must 
detach  ourselves  from  the  immediate  influences 


AUTO-SUGGESTION.  153 

which  thus  surround  us  and  put  the  mind  into  a 
state  as  favorable  for  reception  of  the  proposed 
suggestions  as  possible.  To  do  this  a  quiet  hour 
and  a  quiet  place  should  be  chosen.  I  have 
found  the  early  morning  hour  preferable,  and, 
in  order  to  obtain  all  possible  benefit  from 
quietude,  have  for  some  years  risen  at  five 
o'clock.  Others  have  found  the  evening  hour, 
just  before  retiring,  or  just  before  going  to  sleep, 
most  convenient  and  satisfactory.  There  is 
probably  no  difference  in  results  traceable  to  par- 
ticular hours.  Selection  is  to  be  determined  by 
the  relative  freedom  from  disturbance  that  such 
hours  may  afford. 

Before  subjecting  one's  self  to  the  influence  of 
suggestion  one  ought  to  have  a  distinct  purpose 
in  mind.  For  what  are  we  about  to  undertake 
self-treatment?  There  are  many  things  beside 
disease  that  suggestion  will  cure,  and  there  are 
many  ills  beside  those  of  the  physical  organism 
from  which  it  can  save  us.  All  do  not  realize 
the  great  power  of  this  quiet  adjuvant  over  the 
human  mind  in  its  various  fields  of  activity 
Through  its  aid  our  mental  faculties  can  be  given 
bent  and  energy  most  astonishing  even  to  those 
accustomed  to  such  phenomena. 

Now  observe,  and  I  say  this  in  all  earnestness 
and  sincerity,   by  means  of  auto-suggestion  a 

MAN  CAN  MAKE  OF  HIMSELF  ALMOST  WHAT  HE  WILL. 

Is  he  ambitionless  and  dull?  He  can  acquire  the 
needed  fire.  Is  he  harassed  by  fears?  He  can 
become  courageous.  Is  he  annoyed  by  disagree- 
able circumstances  seemingly  beyond  his  power 
of  control?  He  can  either  change  them  or  take 
away  their  nagging  proclivities.  Is  he  under  the 
power  of  an  evil  habit?    He  can  break  it.    I  term 


154  THE  PRACTICE  OF  PSYCHO-THERAPY. 

psychic  power  "the  great  adjuvant";  for  so  it 
is.  Through  its  aid  one  can  carry  his  mental 
and  physical  powers  to  their  highest  possible  de- 
gree of  development. 

The  value  of  self-training,  by  means  of  auto- 
suggestion, to  both  physician  and  patient,  is  my 
excuse  for  the  chapter  of  which  this  is  a  part. 

Having  chosen  the  hour  and  place  best  calcu- 
lated to  insure  quietude,  the  experimenter  should 
assume  an  attitude  of  physical  ease,  and  yet  one 
not  ordinarily  assumed  for  sleep.  He  may  sit  or 
He,  as  is  most  convenient.  If  the  recumbent 
posture  be  assumed  he  should  be  particular  to  so 
condition  it  that  it  will  not  be  likely  to  suggest 
ordinary  sleep.  For  example,  those  who  cannot 
easily  sleep  on  the  back  should  here  assume  the 
dorsal  position. 

Whatever  hour  be  chosen  it  should  be  faith- 
fully adhered  to.  Day  after  day  let  that  be  the 
silent  hour.  It  is  well  always  to  sit  in  the  same 
chair. 

Then  relax  the  entire  body  and  take  all  ten- 
sion off  the  mind.  Go  over  the  several  parts  in 
their  order  and  resolutely  remove  all  contraction 
from  them.  Having  done  this,  close  the  eyes 
and  fix  the  mind  on  some  particular  part,  prefer- 
ably the  brain  or  the  solar  plexus.  Picture  it  in 
your  imagination  and  give  it  a  luminous  appear- 
ance. Trace  its  nerve  connections,  one  by  one, 
as  best  you  can. 

During  this  exercise  the  mind  will  be  disposed 
at  times  to  wander  and  must  be  resolutely 
brought  back  to  the  point  where  it  jumped  the 
track.  The  physician  who  has  been  the  best 
student  will  best  succeed  in  this  exercise  of  men- 
tal concentration. 


AUTO-SUGGESTION.  155 


It  is  to  be  remembered  that  the  secret  of  effect- 
ual suggestion  is  fotmd  in  concentratio7i  of  the 
mind  upon  whatever  it  is  directed  to  by  the  will. 

Having  gone  thus  far  you  are  in  a  suitable 
state  to  accept  a  suggestion.  Indeed,  you  have 
already  given  the  consciousness  a  short  discipline 
in  suggestion. 

Do  not  for  a  moment  forget  that  you  have  a 
vast  field  of  unexplored  mind — the  great  uncon- 
scious— and  it  is  this  field  that  you  design  chiefly 
to  cultivate.  It  is  by  far  the  larger  part  of  you, 
and  you  now  seek  to  communicate  to  that  busy 
ego  the  character  of  work  most  required  by  that 
part  of  you  which  comes  into  immediate  relations 
with  sensory  environment.  In  doing  this  it  is 
well,  according  to  the  testimony  of  most  observ- 
ers, to  speak  to  it  in  familiar  terms,  as  to  a  friend 
and  helper;  or,  if  need  be,  at  times  as  to  a  serv- 
ant who  has  been  rather  derelict;  according  as 
may  seem  necessary  or  advisable. 

In  making  suggestions,  the  more  energy  and 
earnestness  put  into  them  the  better.  At  times 
it  may  even  be  wise  to  shout  the  affirmations, 
while  throwing  into  them  all  the  intensity  of  your 
nature.  More  than  one  man  has  sworn  himself 
out  of  severe  attacks  of  disease. 

If  suffering  from  pain  or  illness  of  any  part  turn 
on  the  white  light  of  your  focused  thought  and 
flood  the  part  with  it.  Do  this  again  and  again, 
while  you  declare  your  right  to  health,  and  order 
the  subjective  faculties  to  see  at  once  to  its  res- 
toration. Think  of  that  part,  and  every  part,  as 
in  health.  Let  your  imagination  show  you  a 
healthy  liver,  a  sound  heart,  a  perfectly  function- 
ing kidney,  and  so  on.     If  the  nervous  system 


156  THE  PRACTICE  OF  PSYCHO-THERAPY. 

be  at  sixes  and  sevens,  speak  the  word  of  health 
and  peace  to  it,  time  and  again. 

In  giving  yourself  such  a  treatment  by  sug- 
gestion you  have  added  nothing  to  your  powers — 
you  have  merely  awakened  them  to  renewed 
activity.  That  is  all  that  can  be  done  by  any 
sort  of  medication. 

DRUGS  DO  not  COMMUNICATE  ENERGY  —  THEY 

merely  arouse  IT.     This  is  the  whole  law  of 
drtig  action  in  a  sentence. 

Certain  teachers  of  psychology  direct  us  to 
assume  the  religious  attitude  and  merely  open 
ourselves  to  Divine  inflow.  Do  so,  if  you  prefer, 
but  I  opine  that  the  method  has  small  advantage. 
The  ego  itself  is  an  embodiment  of  Divinity, 
and,  as  such,  is  entitled  to  fall  back  upon  its  in- 
herent powers  and  require  the  desired  action  of 
the  physical,  learn  to  trust  yourself.  Self- 
reHance  is  all  important,  and  it  exalts  us  to  the 
very  height  of  our  possibilities.  "I  am  captain 
of  my  soul, "  says  Henly. 

This  is  auto-suggestion  in  its  simplest  form. 
We  practice  it  in  an  irregular  and  inconsiderate 
manner  whenever  we  say:  "I  can"  or  **I  can't." 

He  who,  in  view  of  a  task  to  be  done,  stoutly 
says:  "I  can  and  I  will,"  and  then  sticks  to  his 
resolution,  is  clothed  with  a  majesty  of  power. 

He  who  says:  "I  will  try,  but  I  fear  that 
nothing  will  avail,"  may  as  well  surrender  at  the 
start;  he  is  self-shorn  of  his  strength. 

But  there  is  something  beyond  what  I  have 
thus  far  mentioned,  the  power  of  which  Jor  good 
or  ill  is  more  pronounced.  I  allude  now  to  self- 
hypnosis. 

Having  observed  the  conditions  just  pre- 
scribed for  the  simpler  form  of  suggestion,  and 


AUTO-SUGGESTION.  157 

having  repeatedly  practiced  the  exercises  men- 
tioned, one  may  undertake  to  put  one's  self  into 
the  hypnotic  state. 

There  has  been  a  flood  of  falsehood  thrown 
about  the  possibilities  of  hypnotism  for  good  and 
ill,  and  unreal  dangers  have  been  pointed  out  in 
connection  with  its  practice.  Those  who  desire 
to  test  its  merits  may  rest  assured  that  in  putting 
themselves  into  the  hypnotic  state  they  do  not 
weaken,  but,  on  the  contrary,  do  really  strengthen, 
their  mental  powers.  One  cannot  put  one's  self 
into  hypnotic  sleep  at  all  without  thereby  giving 
evidence  of  good  self-control. 

We  all  ought  to  acquire  such  power  over  our 
forces  as  shall  make  them  our  willing  servants. 
Among  people  in  general  we  find  the  senses  in 
full  dominion. 

Having  reached  the  suggestive  stage,  in  the 
manner  before  described,  one  may  need  but  to 
give  the  suggestion  of  sleep  and  hold  the  thought 
persistently  upon  it  in  order  to  fall  into  a  state 
of  hypnosis. 

The  action  will  be  aided  by  looking  steadily 
at  an  object  on  the  ceiling,  or  at  a  small  object 
suspended  in  such  a  way  as  to  put  the  levator 
muscles  of  the  eyes  into  a  state  of  tension.  On 
this  object  the  eyes  should  steadily  rest  until 
drowsiness  ensues,  and  then  they  may  be  closed 
and  the  mind  be  still  held  to  the  thought  of  sleep. 

It  is  better  to  give  the  suggestions  that  we  seek 
to  impress,  in  an  earnest  way,  before  attempting 
to  sleep,  and  among  them  should  be  those  of 
sleep  itself  and  the  duration  of  it.  When  this  is 
done  the  ensuing  hypnotic  sleep  will  tend  to  im- 
press the  suggestions  more  deeply  on  the  sub- 


158  THE  PRACTICE  OF  PSYCHO-THERAPY. 

consciousness.     You   will   awake   after  sleeping 
the  prescribed  time. 

At  first  you  may  be  unable  to  recognize  the 
sleep,  and  can  be  sure  that  it  has  ensued  only  by 
consulting  your  watch.  Time  has  slid  by  in  an 
unaccountable  way.  You  have  certainly  slept. 
You  may  be  able  to  determine  that  there  has 
been  sleep  by  the  memory  of  vague  images  or 
indefinite  fancies  that  have  traversed  the  mind 
and  left  behind  mere  Hnes  of  passing.  Failure 
to  have  noticed  a  rap  at  the  door,  or  the  sound 
of  a  bell,  may  be  further  proof. 

Auto-suggestion  should  be  used  in  a  regular 
and  systematic  manner  as  long  as  deemed 
necessary. 

We  ought  to  avail  ourselves  of  its  beneficent 
aid  through  hfe. 

Let  it  be  used  freely  and  without  fear. 

Suggestions  are  pouring  in  upon  us  from  an 
infinite  variety  of  sources.  We  are  unconsciously 
accepting  many  of  the  most  forcible  among 
them,  and  those  which  apperception  finds  most 
convenient  and  assimilable.  Shall  we  allow  this 
unregulated  process  to  go  on  indefinitely  in  our- 
selves and  others?  It  is  an  important  —  a 
momentous — question.    How  shall  we  answer  it  ? 

That  we  can  regulate  the  processes  has  passed 
beyond  question. 

How  to  regulate  them  is  the  question  I  am 
here  attempting  briefly  to  answer. 

That  many  will  spurn  the  thought  I  have  no 
doubt ;  but  1  am  equally  sure  that  to  others  it 
will  prove  a  message  of  joy. 

"We  are  living  in  a  world  of  eternal  law  and  order — a 
world  of  limitless  power.  If  ignorantly  or  willfully  we 
misuse  this  power,  we  experience  the  lack  of  good,  or 


AUTO-SUGGESTION.  159 


perverted  good,  which  is  evil;  we  experience  conflict 
and  sorrow,  and  we  ally  ourselves  with  all  conflicting 
conditions.  There  is  about  us  beauty,  happiness,  love, 
abundance;  limitless  good  for  us  to  use — and  for  us  to 
use  today — everything  to  make  life  a  growth  of  ever 
unfolding  joy,  if  we  intelligently  direct  this  (our)  energy. 
Every  new  view  we  obtain  through  experience,  or  inspira- 
tion, points  to  heights  not  yet  attained,  nor  even  con- 
ceived, but  which  the  soul  knows  awaits  the  earnest, 
believing  climber. 

"  Browning,  who  studied  so  deeply  into  man's  nature 
and  possibilities,  said:  'Man  is  not  yet,  but  is  becom- 
ing.' Then  in  a  moment  of  sublime  realization  of 
achievement  and  prophecy  he  exclaimed:  *I  shall 
arrive.'" — M.  Woodbury  Sawyer. 


"Positive  and  negrative  are  relative  terms.  Each  thing,  eacb 
person,  is  negative  to  all  above  in  pitch,  and  is  positive 
to  all  below.  Each  center  with  less  velocity,  is  negative  to 
those  centers  that,  in  their  own  sphere,  revolve  faster. 
Note  the  whirlwinds ;  when  two  meet,  they  become  one  and 
take  a  direction  which  follows  the  diagonal  represented  by 
the  parallelogram  of  the  two  forces.  So  is  it  with  whirl- 
pools. The  one  law  of  nature  is  that  the  greater  centers  of 
like  motion  swallow  the  less ;  but  the  lesser,  when  thus 
enfolded,  proportionately  changes  the  direction  of  the 
greater  and  lowers  its  pitch." 


(160) 


III. 


The  Practice  of  Psycho-Therapy 

(continubd) 


(161) 


Our  unconscious  influence  is  the  projection  of  our  uncon- 
scious mind  and  personality  unconsciously  over  others. 
This  acts  unconsciously  on  their  unconscious  centers,  pro- 
ducing effects  in  character  and  conduct,  recognized  in  con- 
sciousness. For  instance,  the  entrance  of  a  good  man  into 
a  room  where  foul  language  is  used  will  unconsciously 
modify  and  purify  the  tone  of  the  whole  room.  Our  minds 
cast  shadows  of  which  we  are  as  unconscious  as  those  cast 
by  our  bodies,  but  which  affect  for  good  or  evil  all  who  un- 
consciously pass  within  their  range.  This  is  a  matter  of 
daily  experience,  and  is  common  to  all,  though  more  notice- 
able with  strong  personalities."— Sc/io/ieW. 

'  The  mind  is  a  magnet.  At  the  core  of  the  soul  lies  our 
attracting  power.  We  get  what  we  expect.  We  see  what 
we  look  for.  Every  thought  we  think  images  itself  in  the 
mi'd  and  every  image  that  is  persistently  held  in  mind  is 
bound  to  materialize.  This  is  the  law.  I  cannot  tell  why  it 
is  so,  any  more  than  I  can  tell  why  from  a  few  seeds  sown 
in  fertile  soil  we  reap  an  abundant  crop.  I  only  know  that 
the  law  of  thought-externalization  is  as  definite  and  as 
sure  in  results  as  are  the  laws  of  seed-time  and  harvest." 

—Jean  Porter  Rudd. 


(162) 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE  PRACTICE  OF  PSYCHO-THERAPY— Continued. 
SUGGESTION  TO  OTHERS. 

Concerning  the  Physician  Himself. 

It  was  well  to  begin 
with  auto-suggestion,  as  he  who  expects  to  do 
good  work  for  others  should  be  able  to  do  good 
work  for  himself. 

I  have  no  faith  in  the  artistic  taste  of  a  man 
who  wishes  to  decorate  my  house  if  I  find  in  his 
own  home  a  most  execrable  display  of  artistic 
ability.  He  may  be  a  good  workman  with  the 
brush,  but  he  has  not  the  comprehensive  grasp 
of  general  artistic  concepts  that  is  required  prop- 
erly to  choose,  to  harmonize  and  to  distribute 
values. 

It  is  equally  true  that  I  have  no  confidence  in 
the  ability  of  a  man  to  build  me  up  along  right 
lines  and  to  round  me  out  into  full  mental  and 
physical  proportions  whose  mind  is  in  evident 
disorder  and  whose  body  is  under  the  power  of 
disease.  I  should  certainly  say:  "Physician 
heal  thyself." 

The  physician  and  the  surgeon,  of  all  men, 
should  be  free  from  mental,  moral  and  physical 
taints. 

Accordingly,  he  will  have  abundant  occasion 
to  practice  upon  himself;  and  he  ought  to  devote 
his  energies  to  putting  himself  into  a  state  of 
mental,  moral  and  physical  health  before  resort- 
ing to  a  use  of  the  delicate,  yet  tremendous, 

(163) 


164  THE  PRACTICE  OF  PSVCIIO-THERAPY. 

forces  of  mind  for  the  alleviation  of  others'  woes. 

It  may  be  only  a  vagary,  but  I  conceive  that 
the  true  healer  communicates  a  certain  degree  of 
himself  to  his  patient  and  that  he  finds  a  patient 
who  long  remains  under  his  care  disclosing  some 
of  his  own  mental  and  moral  characteristics.  I 
do  not  aver  the  truth  of  this,  but  I  have  seen 
what  appear  to  be  clinical  evidences  upon  which 
to  base  such  an  opinion. 

Do  not  think  that  I  am  dwelling  at  undue 
length  on  what  may  appear  to  some  like  unes- 
sential phases  of  suggestion.  The  feeling  that 
a  true  physician  must  be  a  whole  man  is  consist- 
ent. 

He  should  not  be  under  the  power  of  evil 
habits;  he  should  not  be  a  scoffer  at  good  things; 
he  should  not  be  an  habitue  of  disreputable 
resorts;  and  he  should  not  carry  in  his  atmos- 
phere anything  that  will  impress  a  sensitive  per- 
son unfavorably. 

On  the  contrary,  he  should  be  self-controlled 
and  in  every  way  poised.  This  is  the  physician, 
and  there  is  no  other,  who  can  be  trusted  to  ad- 
minister suggestions  to  an  open  and  confiding 
mind. 

Reflex  Benefits. 

The  physician  who  gives  suggestive 
treatment  cannot  escape  thinking  the  thoughts 
he  expresses  and  sharing  the  benefits  he  affirms 
for  his  patient.  In  this  way  he  becomes  a  par- 
taker of  the  good  things  that  he  would  bring  to 
others.  Action  and  reaction  are  equal.  The 
reflex  from  an  action,  a  wish  or  a  suggestion  is 
sure. 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  he  who  solemnly 


PRACTICE    MAKES    PERFECT.  165 

avers  to  his  patient  that  the  unseen  forces  are 
beneficent;  that  they  can  be  rehed  upon  to  bring 
us  those  things  that  we  crave  in  the  hne  of  our 
requirements;  that  disease  has  no  proper  place 
in  the  economy  of  nature;  that  we  are  what  we 
think  we  are;  and  that  we  can  make  of  ourselves 
what  we  really  will,  is  building  up  his  own  faith 
and  acquiring  a  more  stable  foundation  for  him- 
self, at  the  same  time  that  he,  by  his  optimistic 
suggestion,  is  steadying  another  to  a  better  situ- 
ation and  establishing  for  him  a  happier  mental 
and  physical  state. 

Practice  Makes  Perfect 

In  order  to  acquire  a  facility 
of  suggestion  it  is  well  to  pursue  a  course  such 
as  would  be  undertaken  to  acquire  facility  in  any 
other  art.  The  young  orator  takes  for  auditors 
an  empty  row  of  benches,  the  dumb  brutes  of 
the  stable  or  the  Spirits  of  the  Deep,  and  seeks 
to  impress  these  attentive  listeners  with  his 
strains  of  eloquence. 

Facility  gives  confidence.  When  we  know 
well  our  part  there  is  no  undue  fear,  and  likewise 
when  we  have  learned  well  our  role  we  are  bet- 
ter prepared  to  throw  into  it  the  essential  spirit. 
Accordingly,  he  who  would  succeed  from  the 
start  with  his  attempt  at  suggestion  should  prac- 
tice upon  imaginary  patients;  or,  what  is  far  bet- 
ter, he  should  go  through  the  details  of  treating 
some  of  his  real  patients,  alone,  with  dignity  and 
zeal,  before  he  undertakes  to  do  so  in  their 
presence. 

I  enter  thus  explicitly  into  the  subject  because 
there  are  many  to  whom  the  whole  matter  is 
comparatively  new. 


166  THE  PRACTICE  OF  PSYCHO-THERAPY. 

The  Essentials  of  Suc- 
cess in  the  Suggester. 

Success  in  the  practice  of  sug- 
gestion means  such  a  use  of  psycho-therapeutics 
as  shall  effect  the  purpose  for  which  it  is  intended. 
To  acquire  it  presupposes  in  the  operator  certain 
qualities  of  mind  and  certain  characteristics  of 
personal  demeanor,  to  some  of  which  I  shall  now 
advert. 

Psycho-therapy  is  coming  to  the  front  and 
will  ultimately  be  the  most  trusted  mode  of 
treatment.  For  this  reason,  as  well  as  many 
others,  the  demand  should  be  for  practitioners  of 
a  high  type  of  manhood  and  womanhood 

In  the  early  days  of  homeopathy  the  practice 
of  that  system  of  medicine  was  adopted  by  un- 
educated men  and  women  who  thought  the  sum 
and  substance  of  medicine  was  to  be  found  in  a 
tolerable  acquaintance  with  the  characteristic 
symptoms  of  a  few  remedies  and  the  possession 
of  a  small  case  of  "potencies."  Homeopathy 
outgrew  its  short  clothes,  and  psychological  med- 
icine will  do  the  same  thing.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that 
the  latter  will  be  absorbed  into  general  medicine, 
in  which  it  will  be  accorded  the  chief  place  of 
honor. 

The  suggester  should  never  forget  that  his 
hope  of  success  lies  first  in  making  a  personal 
impression.  With  this  thought  in  mind  he  will 
be  reserved — i.  e. ,  not  overtalkative,  and  disposed 
to  keep  his  patients  "at  arms'  length."  Famil- 
iarity breeds  contempt  and  robs  one  of  psychic 
power. 

His  personal  appearance  should  in  some  way 
distinguish  him  from  "the  common  herd. "  If 
there    be   nothing  marked  in  form  or  face,  he 


ESSENTIALS    OF    SUCCESS.  167 

may  be  pardoned  for  assuming  an  appearance 
that  shall  distinguish  him  in  a  miscellaneous 
company. 

His  methods  of  promotion  should  also  be 
characterized  by  originality  and  a  something 
which  shall  cause  the  public  to  hold  him  as  sui 
generis,  a  distinctly  differentiated  member  of  the 
human  family. 

One  thing  deserving  special  mention  is  that, 
since  in  the  practice  of  suggestion  one  is  ex- 
pected to  acquire  a  deep  insight  into  person- 
ality, the  practitioner  should  seek  to  bear  all  his 
patients,  with  their  mental  characteristics,  in 
memory.  The  deepened  effect  on  patients  is 
well  worth  the  extra  effort  involved  in  doing  so. 

A  personal  interest  ought  to  be  taken  in  each 
patient,  and  a  true  friendship  will  commonly 
result  between  the  physician  and  one  whose 
mentality  has  been  deeply  impressed  by  his 
wholesome  thought. 

Now  listen  attentively  to  this,  for  it  is  worthy 
to  be  pondered:  I  have  a  conviction  that  the 
broad  entrance  into  medicine  of  the  psych  ic  idea  will 
have  a  powerful  teiidency  to  raise  the  Tnoral  status 
of  Tuedical  practitioners. 

Having  read  what  immediately  precedes,  the 
reader  should  not  pass  over  the  following.  It 
may  be  said  that  truth  does  not  need  to  study 
methods  with  so  great  care  and  to  resort  to 
small  tactics  in  order  to  make  an  impression. 
It  would  not  need  to  were  the  masses  whom  we 
are  called  to  attend  better  acquainted  with  the 
determining  factors  in  mental  and  physical  ex- 
perience. 

The  truth  is  that  many  educated  people  are 
densely  ignorant  of  the  relation  existing  between 


168  THE  PRACTICE  OF  rSYCHO-THERAPY. 

mental  and  physical  phenomena.  The  veriest 
pretender  in  medicine,  even  he  who  makes  the 
alleged  cure  of  disease  a  mere  commercial  enter- 
prise, and  whose  bold  claims  remove  him  from 
the  arena  of  ethics,  finds  many  in  high  places 
his  ready  dupes,    and  sometimes  his   stanchest 


WiM/V£SS 


PiGTTRK  12.     A  Diagrammatic  Representation  of  the  Relative  Effects  of 
Medicinal  and  Suggestive  Treatment. 

friends.  For  this  reason  I  say,  in  order  to  reach 
and  impress,  the  practitioner,  and  particularly  he 
who  makes  suggestion  his  principal  reliance,  is 
justified  in  resorting  to  factitious  methods  in 
order  to  catch  the  eye  of  the  struggling  masses. 
It  should  be  understood,  however,  that  the  justi- 
fication is  found  not  in  the  personal  emoluments 
that  may  ensue,  but  in  the  vast  good  which  the 
newer  methods  are  capable  of  conferring  on 
suffering  humanity,  who,  but  for  being  drawn 
out  by  artificial  methods,  might  suffer  on  and 
ultimately  perish. 

The  uplifting  effect  of  psychic  medicine  is  the 
bright  promise  of  the  day. 

Personal  Magfnetism, 

"He  has  no  magnetism,"  is 
said  of  one,  and,  "He  has  a  wonderful  magnetic 
power, "  is  said  of  another.  What  do  these 
observations  signify  ?     Is  there  such  an  element 


PERSONAL    MAGNETISM.  169 


entering   into    the    creation    of    what    we    term 


success  r 


What  we  characterize  as  Personal  Magnetism 
cannot  spring  from  good  looks,  from  fine  appear- 
ance, from  gentlemanly  demeanor,  nor  from 
interested  attention,  though  it  cannot  be  denied 
that  these  enter  as  constituents  into  the  summa 
sumjnarum  of  the  seemingly  inexplicable  thing 
that  so  imi presses  all. 

That  a  power  to  impress  is  evinced  in  some, 
and  an  entire  lack  of  it  is  observed  in  others, 
there  can  be  no  mistaking.  One  man  possesses 
power  over  others,  and  another  possesses  none. 
We  look  on  and  say:     "What  does  it  mean?" 

The  power  of  personal  magnetism  is  so  gentle, 
and  yet  so  effective,  that  the  person  controlled 
knows  nothing  of  the  process;  he  believes  him- 
self acting  from  spontaneous  motives  and  im- 
pulses, and  yet  he  does  the  very  things  that  the 
impelling  mind  of  another  dictates. 

The  chief  secret  of  this  so-called  Personal 
Magnetism  lies  in  the  positive  and  consistent 
nature  of  its  possessor.  In  some  it  is  inborn  and 
characterizes  them  from  childhood.  But  it  can 
be  developed  in  all.  You  ask  me  how  ?  I  could 
give  a  series  of  exercises,  which,  faithfully  fol- 
lowed, would  make  the  weakest  and  most  unim- 
pressive strongly  magnetic.  But  this  is  not  the 
time  and  place  to  do  so.  Suffice  it  to  say  that 
the  general  principles  of  culture  best  calculated 
to  develop  personal  magnetism  lies  in  the  direc- 
tion of  self-discipline  with  associated  auto-sug- 
gestion. This  means  a  consentaneous  develop- 
ment of  will-power  through  the  setting  of  hard 
tasks  and  the  faithful  performance  of  them. 

The  men  who  have  moved  the  world  are  those 


170  THE  PRACTICE  OF  PSYCHO-THERAPY. 

who  have  first  brought  themselves  to  a  point  where 
nothhtg  was  rated  too  hard  as  a  condition  of  suc- 
cess. They  have  always  been  those  in  whom 
habit  was  the  servant  rather  than  the  master. 
They  could  forego  personal  ease  and  pleasure  in 
order  to  win  a  coveted  prize,  and  count  the 
involved  self-denial  a  delight.  They  have  always 
been  those  who  could  marshal  their  forces,  could 
concentrate  their  energies,  could  focus  their 
thought,  with  the  accuracy,  the  energy  and  the 
pointedness  of  a  Yogi.  They  were  me^i  of  pur- 
pose, and  so  must  we  be  to  acquire  power. 

Let  me  give  some  of  the  most  important  prin- 
ciples lying  at  the  root  of  personal  command  over 
others. 

1.  Have  a  purpose  in  all  that  you  do.  Do  not 
waste  your  energies  on  meaningless  thoughts, 
words  and  actions. 

This  does  not  mean  that  you  should  never 
enter  into  the  frivolities  of  life.  It  only  means 
that  you  should  "work  while  you  work  and  play 
while  you  play." 

2.  Do  nothing  without  conscious  thought.  Do 
not  so  much  as  touch  a  patient  without  thought. 
When  examining,  when  treating,  when  operat- 
ing, let  the  thought  be:  "You  are  under  my 
restorative  power. "  "I  can  see  your  troubles." 
"I  can  cure  your  ailments."  "I  am  doing  this 
for  your  good."  "I  expect  to  make  you  well," 
etc. 

3.  Do  not  be  found  inattentive^  no  matter  what 
you  have  in  hand.  Do  not  allow  yourself  to  fall 
into  a  reverie,  save  on  proper  occasions.  At  all 
other  times  have  your  conscious  mind  on  the 
thing  in  hand,  even  though  it  be  nothing  more 
than  eating. 


PERSONAL   MAGNETISM.  171 

This  will  be  found  an  exceedingly  hard  task. 
The  mind  will  wander  and  the  more  it  follows  its 
own  bent  the  less  obedient  will  it  prove  on  right- 
ful occasions.  Therefore  keep  it  well  in  hand. 
It  should  be  a  servant  and  not  a  master  of  the 
true  Ego. 

4.  Be  strong  and  of  good  courage.  Suggest  to 
yourself  many  times  a  day: 

'  */  can  and  I  zvill. " 
**Iam  my  own  master.'' 

*  *  /  can  compel  events. " 
^^I ant  a  t7'ue  healer." 

*  *  The  power  to  awaken  curative  energy  is  in 
me,  and  I  can  use  it  on  occasion. " 

Not  only  think  it,  but  speak  it  aloud  to 
yourself.  If  at  any  time  you  feel  peculiarly  weak 
and  irresolute,  clinch  your  fist  and  stamp  your 
foot  while  you  put  all  the  earnestness  into  the 
sentiment  at  your  command. 

5.  Always  evince  confidence  in  yourself  .  It  is 
not  enough  that  you  feel  it.  Shoio  it.  Let 
every  word  and  every  act  disclose  self-reliance. 

Egotism  is  despicable  wherever  seen.  That  is 
quite  another  thing.     Self-reliance  impresses. 

"Trust  thyself:  every  heart  vibrates  to    that 
iron  string. " 

Read  what  has  been  said  elsewhere  concerning 
faith.  Faith  is  self-reliance;  and  it  is  something 
more :  it  is  assurance  of  results. 

"Faith,   absolute,    dogmatic  faith,    is  the  only 
condition  of  true  success." 

6.  Sincerity  contributes  much  to  personal  mag- 
netism. Without  it  we  cannot  grandly  achieve. 
"Be  sincere,  but  don't  be  serious.  The  man 
whom  nature  has  appointed  to  do  great  things 
is,  first  of  all,   furnished  with  that  openness  of 


172  THE  PRACTICE  OF  PSYCHO-THERAPY. 

nature  which  renders  him  incapable  of  being 
insincere. " — Carlyle. 

The  way  to  all  this  is  through  dogged  determi- 
nation, reinforced,  emphasized,  made  real,  by  fre- 
quent auto-suggestion. 

It  will  be  recalled  in  this  connection  that  auto- 
suggestion is  most  effective  when  given  in  silence. 

"Let  us  be  silent,  for  so  are  the  gods. "  Thus 
runs  an  ancient  sentiment. 

The  Foregfoing:  Neither  Unim- 
portant Nor  Too  Elementary. 

For  some  the  foregoing 
may  seem  better  suited  to  students  than  to 
physicians  of  years  and  experience.  It  may  be 
so,  but  I  venture  to  say  that  the  earnest  searcher 
after  truth  will  not  so  regard  it,  even  though  it 
expresses  nothing  not  already  familiar  to  him. 

Do  not  forget  that  to  speak  truisms  often 
serves  a  good  purpose. 

It  is  hoped  that  these  principles  will  be  studied 
until  they  become  indelibly  impressed  on  the 
memory  and  will  be  practiced  until  they  become 
ingrained  into  every-day  life. 


IV. 


The  Practice  of  Psycho-Therapy 

(continued) 


(178) 


"These  phenomena  (of  hypnotism)  do  not  indicate  a  diseased 
condition  which  ought  to  be  feared  or  suppressed,  but 
should  be  looked  upon  as  gateways  to  a  higher  knowledge, 
and  tiierefore  worthy  of  investigation  and  certain  to  re- 
ward iW— Edward  T.  Bennett.  P.  R.  S. 

"The  problem  of  health,  then,  rests  primarily  on  the  regula- 
tion of  mental  action.  Illness  is  always  a  sign  of  weakness, 
a'  d,  primarily,  mental  weakness.  I  have  no  wish  to  deny 
that  unconscious  action  may  be  modified  for  good  by  the 
toxical  action  of  drugs.  It  is  undoubtedly  through  such 
action  that  curative  effects  are  often  produced.  The  irri- 
tant drag  communicates  a  suggestion  of  augmented  energy 
in  certain  areas,  and  organs,  and  nerve  tracts,  v^'bich  effects 
desired  results.  That  drug  treatment  does  often  effect 
cures  in  this  manner  cannot  be  denied.  But  drugs  are  iin- 
cer  ain  in  action  and  cannot  bo  relied  I'ponin  a  series  of 
cases,  without  at  the  same  time,  by  virtue  of  collateral 
irritation,  doing  possible  harm.  The  great  defect  of  the 
drug  system  is  found  in  its  unreliability.  Uniform  effects 
cannot  be  obtained.  The  advantage  of  mental  treatment 
lies  in  the  fact  that  it  can  be  directe  I  with  precision,  while 
its  effects  are  not  scattering  and  collaterally  harmful.  It 
can  also  be  made  to  reinforce  drug  action  and  thus  render 
it  efficient.  Moreover  land  this  truth  should  sink  deeply 
into  the  memory ) ,  while  in  using  drugs  as  a  means  of  modify- 
ing functional  activities  we  are  teaching  reliauce  on  arti- 
ficial stimulation.  In  mental  therapeutics  the  mind  learns 
to  acquire  permanent  control  in  its  own  realm."— Leavitt. 

"Thought  in  the  mind  hath  made  us.    What  we  are 
By  thought  was  wrought  ami  built.    If  a  man's  mind 
Hath  evil  thoughts,  pain  comes  on  him  as  comes 
The  v.heel  on  ox  behind. 

All  that  we  are  is  what  we  have  thought  and  willed ; 
Our  thoughts  shape  us  and  frame.    If  one  endure 
In  purity  of  thought,  joy  follows  him 
As  his  own  shadow— sure." 

—Sir  Edwin  Ariiold. 


(174) 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  PRACTICE  OF  PSYCHO-THERAPY— Continued. 

How  to  Secure  the  Essentials 
of  Success  in   the   Patient. 

Having  reviewed  at 
some  length  the  methods  of  establishing  in  the 
physician  the  conditions  of  effective  suggestion, 
we  shall  turn  our  attention  to  those  equally  im- 
portant in  the  patient,  and  indicate  as  far  as 
possible  the  means  of  securing  them. 

I  have  elsewhere  dwelt  upon  faith  as  the  most 
essential  element  in  the  giving  and  receiving  of 
therapeutic  suggestion,  and  it  will  be  unneces- 
sary for  me  to  do  more  than  mention  it  here. 

The  means  of  awakening  faith  have  also  been 
considered,  and  they  will  not  be  recapitulated. 

Importance  of  Attention. 

Nothing  is  more  important 
than  to  gain  the  attention  of  the  patient  about  to 
be  treated.  I  do  not  say  that  it  is  all-important, 
inasmuch  as  the  subjective  mind  may  be  im- 
pressed while  the  objective  consciousness  is 
turned  to  other  things.  But  the  desired  effect  is 
facilitated  by  capturing  and  holding  the  patient's 
conscious  attention. 

Very  nervous  patients  are  easily  diverted, 
especially  by  their  sensations,  and  find  it  diffi- 
cult, or  even  impossible,  volitionally  to  concen- 
trate on  anything.  At  the  same  time  many  of 
them  are  suffering  the  effects  of  involuntary  con- 
centration. 

(175) 


176  THE  PRACTICE  OF  PSYCHO-THERAPY. 

While  treating  a  nervous  patient  a  few  days 
ago  I  found  her  getting  more  and  more  agitated, 
until  I  feared  that  inco-ordinate  action  would 
throw  her  from  the  chair.  She  finally  ejaculated 
an  allusion  to  the  condition,  and  I  explained 
that  she  was  failing  to  follow  the  thought  I  was 
laboriously  trying  to  give  her.  She  had  been 
contemplating  the  very  conditions  that  I  wanted 
her  to  forget. 

"Listen  now,"  I  said.  "You  are  not  follow- 
ing my  thought.  Think  of  what  I  am  saying 
and  your  jerking  will  cease. " 

On  proceeding  with  the  treatment  she  speedily 
quieted,  and  the  suggestions  were  evidently  en- 
abled to  take  a  better  hold. 

"I  am  getting  better, "  she  said  at  the  con- 
clusion, and  a  brighter  face  and  renewed  anima- 
tion betokened  what  her  lips  expressed. 

The  subjective  mind  is  supposed  to  note  every 
word  and  act  with  most  scrupulous  care  and  to 
preserve  it  in  the  memory. 

"Since  it  is  the  subjective  faculty  that  works 
the  cure,"  says  one,  "why  need  we  be  con- 
cerned regarding  the  objective  thought?" 

It  is  quite  true  that  the  subjective  conscious- 
ness is  chiefly  involved  in  every  cure;  but  we 
may  reasonably  infer  that  beneficial  results  are 
facilitated  by  recurrence  of  the  consciousness, 
again  and  again,  to  the  suggestion  that  has 
found  lodgment  in  its  registers. 

Whatever  the  tenable  theory,  observation 
teaches  the  value,  though  not  the  absolute 
necessity,  of  securing  the  objective  attention. 

Media  of  Cure. 

I  have  spoken  of  faith  as  an  essential 


GOOD  POSITION  FOR  DEEP  HYPNOSIS. 


MEDIA    OF    CURE.  177 

element  of  cure,  in  both  physician  and  patient. 
In  many  people,  more  particularly,  the  unedu- 
cated and  thoughtless,  faith  requires  a  medium, 
or  object,  on  which  to  rest.  When  Jesus  healed 
the  blind  man  he  moistened  clay  with  saliva  and 
put  it  on  the  man's  eyes,  after  which  he  bade 
him  go  and  wash.  Why  did  he  thus?  Doubt- 
less because  his  power  was  conditioned  by  the 
man's  ignorance.  To  have  merely  spoken  the 
heahng  word  would  have  been  insufficient.  The 
patient  needed  to  feel  the  action  of  the  remedy, 
as  many  patients  now  need  to  taste  the  drug,  in 
order  that  his  faith  might  rise  to  heahng  pitch. 
It  was  quite  different,  as  I  have  said,  with  the 
educated  Centurion,  who  asked  Jesus  to  "speak 
the  word  only,"  under  the  assurance  that  his 
servant,  though  absent,  would  be  healed. 

It  follows  that  we  must  discriminate  between 
patients.  There  are  many  who  can  easily  accept 
a  propounded  hypothesis  which  appeals  to  their 
reason,  and  in  treating  such,  for  simple  ailments, 
no  drugs  are  needed.  But,  whe^i  disease  has 
obtained  a  Jimn  root,  and  especially  when  it  pre- 
sents threatening  aspects,  we  should  omit  no 
ratiojial  remedy  that  appears  to  be  suited  to  the 
case. 

Well  chosen  drug  remedies  have  curative poiver 
over  the  hnman  organisvi  and  in  most  cases  ought 
to  be  exhibited, 

KTPITOSIS. 

We  are  now  brought  to  a  consideration  of  the 
condition  of  the  patient  most  conducive  to  effec- 
tive suggestion,  originally  termed  Mesmeric 
Sleep,   but  later  called  by  Baird  Hypnosis. 

There  may  be  an  essential  difference  between 


178  THE  PRACTICE  OF  PSYCHO-THERAPY. 

mesmerism  and  hypnotism  and  yet  few  recent 
observers  declare  their  abiHty  to  discern  it.  In 
the  practice  of  mesmerism,  contact  with  the 
patient's  body  is  essential,  while  in  the  practice 
of  hypnotism  there  may  be  contact  or  there 
may  not.  In  any  case  I  am  convinced  that  the 
phenomena  represent  the  effects  of  suggestion 
and  accordingly  we  shall  here  consider  them  as 
identical. 

Methods  of  Inducing:  Hypnosis. 

Every  physician  who 
employs  hypnotism  has  his  own  way  of  inducing 
the  state.  There  is  Uttle  emphasis  to  be  put 
upon  methods.  In  any  case  the  object  should 
be  to  convince  the  patient  that  a  state  of  sleep 
is  to  ensue,  and  then,  by  suggestion,  to  take  him 
through  the  stages  of  drowsiness  and  somnolence 
into  deep  sleep. 

Charcot,  the  great  French  savant,  who  de- 
voted much  study  to  the  phenomena  of  hypno- 
tism, classified  its  phases  into  three  groups, 
indicating,  as  he  supposed,  three  degrees  of 
hypnosis.  A  few  years  ago,  at  Old  Salpetriere 
in  Paris,  Charcot,  Jr. ,  demonstrated  to  me  these 
three  stages  in  a  private  seance.  But  the  symp- 
toms of  these  various  stages  are  themselves 
dependent  on  suggestion  for  their  distinct  de- 
velopment, in  a  new  subject,  and,  in  practice, 
the  classification  need  not  be  regarded. 

Most  intelligent  people  are  susceptible  to  hyp- 
notic influence  when  properly  exercised  by  those 
who  are  en  rapport  with  them.  One  may  not 
succeed  to  his  liking  in  inducing  the  state,  in  a 
particular  instance,  at  the  first  attempt ;  but,  with 


SUGGESTION  IN  ORDINARY  SLEEP.  l79 


wise  persistence  and  intensification  of  the  ocular 
fatigue,  there  will  rarely  be  a  total  failure. 

Modern  practice  has  demonstrated  that  all 
people,  at  all  times,  are  measurably  susceptible  to 
suggestion;  that  in  silence  and  reverie  they  are 
far  more  so;  and  that  they  are  most  susceptible  of 
ally  in  the  state  of  deep  hypnosis. 

Suggestion  in  Ordinary  Sleep. 

It  has  also  been  clearly 
shown  that  hypnotic  sleep  is  not  essentially  dif- 
ferent from  ordinary  sleep.  In  the  latter,  one  is 
in  relation  to  one's  own  unguided  subconscious 
mentation,  while  in  the  former  one  is  in  relation 
to  the  mind  of  the  operator. 

It  has  been  found  that  susceptible  subjects, 
especially  children,  may  sometimes  be  transferred 
mentally,  during  natural  sleep,  from  the  self- 
centered  state  into  distinct  relationship  with  the 
hypnotizer,  followed  by  the  development  of  ordi- 
nary hypnotic  phenomena. 

It  has  also  been  found  that  ordinary  sleep  need 
not  be  converted  into  hypnotic  sleep  in  order  to 
obtain  a  marked  degree  of  suggestive  effect.  By 
beginning  in  a  quiet  way,  so  as  not  to  awaken 
the  sleeper,  the  suggestions  can  be  offered  with 
evident  after-effect. 

Suggestion  Under  Anesthesia. 

I  do  not  know  who  first 
demonstrated  the  possibility  of  suggestive  effect 
on  anesthetized  patients.  I  have  practiced  it  for 
years  and  with  undoubted  results. 

The  topic  will  be  pursued  at  some  length  in 
the  section  on  Surgery,  to  which  the  reader  is 
referred. 


180  THE  PRACTICE  OF  PSYCHO-THERAPY. 

Su§:g:estion  During: 
Hysterical  Storms. 

A  most  favorable  time  also  for 
effective  suggestion  is  during  the  pseudo-uncon- 
sciousness of  an  hysterical  seizure  when  the 
patient  appears  to  her  friends  to  be  oblivious  to 
all  about  her.  At  such  a  time  the  objective 
faculties  are  partially  inhibited,  but  the  subject- 
ive mind  is  peculiarly  acute  and  able  to  accept  a 
rational  premise  for  more  sensible  and  orderly 
behavior.  That  is  a  time  when  the  patient  will 
bear  a  strong  impress  and  there  need  be  no  fear 
to  use  emphatic  measures  to  secure  it. 

How  to  Induce  Hypnosis. 

Certain  patients  are  so  sus- 
ceptible that  no  particular  mode  of  procedure 
becomes  essential.  It  may  be  enough  to  close 
the  eyes,  make  a  few  passes  with  the  hand  and 
speak  the  emphatic  word,   "Sleep"! 

But,  as  we  cannot  often  reckon  on  obtaining 
results  with  so  great  ease,  it  is  better  to  follow  a 
routine  method  at  the  start.  After  a  patient  has 
been  put  to  sleep  a  few  times  and  the  suggestion 
of  easy  control  has  been  made,  it  will  be  found 
unnecessary  to  follow  rigid  rules. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  the  operator  acquires 
confidence  and  facility  by  experience.  The 
oftener  one  sets  his  will  against  another  and  tri- 
umphs, the  easier  success  becomes. 

I  have  seen  Voisin  put  some  of  his  patients  to 
sleep  by  directing  them  to  gaze  steadily  at  a 
bright  ball  suspended  about  two  feet  from  the 
eyes  and  in  such  a  situation  as  to  tire  the  supe- 
rior ocular  muscles;  I  have  seen  him  stroke 
others  to  sleep;  and  I  have  seen  him  hypnotize 


THE  PHENOMENA  OF  HYPNOTISM.  18\ 

an  insane  woman  by  merely  laying  his  hands 
over  her  ears  and  pressing  her  face  close  to  his, 
with  a  steady  look. 

There  is  no  best  method,  and  the  operator  will 
be  guided  by  his  own  experience  and  the  impulse 
of  the  moment.  The  most  obdurate  can  some- 
times be  subdued  by  employing  revolving  mir- 
rors; but  these  cannot  well  be  used  in  office  prac- 
tice. I  have  succeeded  in  some  cases  by  using 
heavy  prismatic  lenses  that  confuse  and  tire. 
Other  methods — original,  as  I  believe — are  use  of 
the  graphophone  for  suggestion ;  and  the  inhala- 
tion of  ordinary  air  slightly  charged  with  an  odor, 
through  a  tube  connected  with  a  phantom,  or  with 
an  empty  tank. 

It  is  all  suggestion  and  the  aim  should  be  to 
catch  and  hold  the  attention  to  the  thought  of 
sleep.  It  is  not  possible  to  hypnotize  a  subject 
to  the  point  of  sleep  without,  i7i  some  way,  giving 
the  suggestion  of  sleep. 

Failure  grows  out  of  inability  to  overcome  the 
objective  mental  activity. 

A  modified  degree  of  hypnosis  can  often  be 
obtained  by  startling  effects;  but  the  condition  is 
not  so  favorable  for  curative  purposes.  They  are 
mostly  hysterical  patients  who  can  be  thrown  into 
hypnosis  in  this  manner.  Such  subjects  may 
resist  all  other  methods.  After  having  been  sub- 
dued a  few  times,  obstinate  patients,  like  frac- 
tious horses,  become  thoroughly  tractable. 

The  simplest  mctJiods  are  tisually  the  best. 

The  Phenomena  of  Hypnotism. 

Let  the  operator  re- 
member that  it  is  quite  possible  to  put  the 
average  patient  into  an  hypnotic  state  the  symp- 


182  THE  PRACTICE  OF  PSYCHO-THERAPY. 

toms  of  which  are  largely  determined  by  the 
suggestions  of  the  operator,  or  in  the  absence  of 
these  by  the  preconceived  notions  of  the  subject 
himself.  It  is  for  this  reason  that  a  satisfactory 
classification  of  hypnotic  symptoms  cannot  easily 
be  made. 

The  loss  of  voluntary  motion  is  the  simplest 
phase  of  hypnosis  observed  after  passing  into  a 
state  bordering  on  sleep.  You  close  the  patient's 
eyes  and  then  abruptly  say: 

* '  Ah,  you  are  already  asleep.  Your  eyes  are 
heavy,  so  heavy  that  you  cannot  open  them. 
Try  as  hard  as  you  like,  but  you  cannot  open 
them.  Now,  I  lay  your  hand  on  mine  and  you 
cannot  remove  it.  See,  it  sticks  like  steel  to  a 
magnet.  But  I  have  only  to  speak  the  word 
and  you  are  released.  Open  your  eyes.  See  ? 
They  open  easily.  Take  away  your  hand.  Yes, 
you  readily  remove  it.  You  do  exactly  what  I 
tell  you  to  do.  You  can't  do  otherwise — the 
fact  is  you  do  not  care  to  disobey.  It  is  far 
easier  and  pleasanter  to  obey." 

This  experience  impresses  the  patient  with  a 
sense  of  necessity,  and,  so  long  as  you  do  not 
ask  anything  unreasonable,  or  that  does  not 
comport  with  his  sense  of  right,  he  will  not  think 
of  disobeying.  A  vicious  inan  will  do  vicious 
acts  under  orders;  but  a  conscientiozis  man  will  not. 

Your  patient  may  have  had  much  pain.  Lay 
your  hand  on  the  painful  spot  and  say: 

"You  have  no  more  pain.  The  cause  of  it 
has  been  removed,  and  you  are  free.  You  are 
well,  absolutely  well.'' 

Repeat  this  in  similar  words  several  times. 
Say  it  loudly ;  then  whisper  it  into  the  ear.  The 
suggestion  is  to  be  deeply  impressed. 


POSITION   FOR    HYPNOSIS.  183 

This  is  a  favorable  degree  of  hypnosis  for  sug- 
gestion; but  it  is  not  equal  to  that  of  deep  sleep. 

To  carry  the  patient  into  the  profound  stage 
merely  use  suggestion.  If  in  an  office  chair,  put 
him  into  a  semi-recumbent  posture  and  suggest 
deep  sleep. 

These  words  will  answer  the  purpose:  "You 
are  now  fast  asleep.  Nothing  can  awaken  you 
but  my  command.  You  are  wholly  oblivious  to 
all  but  my  words.     Listen,  now,  while  I  speak." 

The  patient  will  nearly  always  do  precisely 
what  you  command,  and  will  appear  to  be  in 
deep  sleep — sometimes  with  the  accompanying 
deep  and  regular  breathing.  Nothing  will  dis- 
turb him  until  you  give  the  waking  word,  p7'o- 
vided  you  re^naUiwith  him,  a7id  provided,  also, 
that  you  do  not  insist  upon  something  against 
which  his  moral  or  spiritual  nattcre  would  rebel. 

It  is  easy  to  put  one  patient  into  a  particular 
stage  of  hypnosis  with  mixed  phenomena,  while 
another  will  not  enter  it  at  all,  though  he  will 
readily  enter  other  stages,  until  experimented 
with  a  number  of  times.  Idiosyncrasies  show  up 
very  plainly  in  hypnosis. 

Position  for  Hypnosis. 

One  characteristic  of  the  hyp- 
notic sleep  worthy  of  early  notice  is  that  the 
patient,  being  in  constant  subjective  relation 
with  the  operator,  does  not  appear  to  wholly 
forget  physical  relations.  In  this  respect  the 
condition  resembles  certain  phases  of  hysteria 
wherein  the  patient,  during  (to  lay  observers)  an 
alarming  attack  of  apparent  unconsciousness, 
from  which  she  long  refuses  to  be  aroused,  sits 
bolt    upright,     co-ordination    being    sufficiently 


184  THE  PRACTICE  OF  PSYCHO-THERAPY. 

maintained  to  keep  her  from  falling.  Likewise, 
the  hypnotic  patient  does  not  relax,  as  in  ordi- 
nary sleep,  but  the  muscles  are  sometimes,  but 
not  always,  rigid  until  softened  by  suggestion. 

For  this  reason  the  question  of  position  is  com- 
paratively immaterial.  If  the  physician  be  treat- 
ing at  his  ofhce,  the  patient  may  be  seated  in  his 
adjustable  chair,  and  for  the  purpose  of  deep 
hypnosis  is  made  to  assume  an  easy  semi-recum- 
bent posture.  (See  half-tone.)  For  light  hyp- 
nosis it  is  more  convenient  to  seat  him  in  an 
ordinary  chair  so  that  the  operator  may  occupy 
a  convenient  position  behind  him. 

When  one  is  not  practicing  hypnotism  in  a 
wholesale  way,  as  I  have  seen  it  done  abroad, 
there  is  no  occasion  for  all  the  machinery  of 
bright  balls,  revolving  mirrors,  etc.  The  simpler 
methods  and  the  quiet,  easy  positions  are  to  be 
preferred,  as  they  are  more  likely  to  please 
people  of  intelligence  and  secure  from  them  the 
greater  confidence. 

The  more  the  patient  comes  to  believe  in  the 
power  of  the  healer,  rather  than  in  the  means 
employed,  the  more  satisfactory  the  results. 
But  I  caution  the  operator  again  in  behalf  of 
truth  and  the  beneficent  results  likely  to  follow  the 
apprehension  of  it,  to  aim  ultimately  to  bring  the 
patient  to  understand  that  the  true  curative 
POWER  LIES  IN  HIMSELF,  and  that  all  the  physician 
can  do  is  to  arouse  it,  by  various  means,  into 
renewed  activity. 

The  most  efficient  measures  of  cure  are  always 
simple.  The  chief  effort  is  always  to  be  directed 
toward  establishing  the  necessary  confidence  of 
the  patient  in  the  means  employed,  in  the  physi- 
cian, but  most  of  all  in  hi7nself. 


SCOPE  OF  HYPNOTIC  CONTROL.  185 


The  Scope  of  Hypnotic  Control. 

As  in  the  instance  of 
Other  manifestations  of  nature's  hidden  forces, 
the  fancies  of  those  unacquainted  with  the  phe- 
nomena in  their  details  are  disposed  to  run  riot. 
The  true  power  of  the  hypnotist  has  been  misap- 
prehended and  the  effects  of  hypnotism  on  the 
subject  have  been  misinterpreted  and  exag- 
gerated. 

The  will  of  the  hypnotized  person  is  not  under 
the  power  of  the  operator.  Let  those  who  think 
it  is  experiment  on  a  subject  or  two  and  they 
will  become  convinced  that  one  cannot  be  so  con- 
trolled, either  in  hypnosis  or  oict  of  it,  as  to  com- 
mit an  act  to  which  his  volition  had  not  already 
given  tacit  consent.  The  truth  is  that  our  moral 
principles  and  impulses  He  mainly  beneath  the 
floor  of  consciousness  and  when  one  is  pressed  to 
do  what  does  not  accord  therewith  there  is  an 
emergence  of  the  true  nature  and  one  comes  to 
one's  waking  sense  and  then  the  resistance  is 
determined  by  the  ordinary  processes  of  induc- 
tive reasoning.  Press  the  hypnotized  patient  to 
do  some  grotesque  or  immoral  act  too  far  and  he 
will  waken.     There  is  revolt. 

Now  this  return  of  a  hypnotized  subject  to 
normal  conditions,  against  the  purpose  of  the 
operator,  does  not  prove,  as  some  have  sup- 
posed, that  hypnosis  is  really  an  objectively  con- 
scious state  in  which  he  comprehends  his  true 
environment.  Would  they  take  this  position 
with  respect  to  normal  sleep?  During  the  latter 
we  are  not  objectively  conscious  of  what  is  going 
on  around  us,  and,  in  our  dreams,  we  accept 
most  absurd  situations  without  protest.  The 
stealthy  burglar  may  be  prowling  about  and  we 


186  THE  PRACTICE  OF  PSYCHO-THERAPY. 

know  nothing  of  his  presence,  until  something 
occurs  sufficiently  out  of  the  ordinary  to  cause 
our  sleepy  consciousness  to  assert  itself.  The 
mind  in  sleep  readily  adjusts  its  actions  to  envir- 
onment, not  only  present  environment,  but 
prospective  as  well.  Go  to  bed  in  a  sleeper  be- 
fore it  leaves  the  station  and  very  hkely  you  will 
not  be  awakened  by  departure  of  the  train, 
though  one-half  the  noise  and  motion  would  have 
started  you  in  fright  from  your  own  bed  at  home. 
The  hypnotized  subject  gives  himself  up  to  be 
dominated  by  certain  ideas  and  an  attempt  to 
lead  him  beyond  that  point  of  concession  will 
result  in  waking  him. 

As  much  may  also  be  said  concerning  post- 
hypnotic suggestion.  It  has  its  bounds  set  up 
by  the  subject's  own  ideas  of  consistency  and 
decency. 

Has  Hypnotism  a  Pernicious  Ef- 
fect on  the  Subject's  Mentality? 

The  testimony  of  all 
practitioners  of  experience  is  that  no  ill  effects 
have  been  observed.  Among  those  who  thus 
testify  I  have  elsewhere  mentioned  Forel,  Lie- 
beault,  Bernheim,  Wetterstrand,  Van  Eeden,  De 
Jong  and  Moll. 

The  Hypnotic  Su§:§:estion. 

The  hypnotic  suggestion 
differs  in  no  essential  from  other  suggestion.  In 
giving  it  one  should  remember  that  subconscious 
mentation  is  surprisingly  logical,  and  that  the 
suggestion  itself,  when  presented,  should  have 
logical  order  and  be  a  fair  inference  from  what 
has  preceded  it.     What  has  been  termed  apper- 


THE  HYPNOTIC  SUGGESTION.  187 


cepHoti  does  not  pertain  alone  to  the  objective 
mind.  The  subconsciousness,  on  receiving  knowl- 
edge, immediately  sets  to  work  to  associate  it 
with  ideas  already  possessed  and  prepare  it  for 
subsequent  use.  There  is  a  process  of  reasoning 
set  up,  perhaps,  as  would  appear,  not  of  an  in- 
ductive nature,  the  result  of  which  is  felt  upon 
the  sum  total  of  life's  action. 

It  follows  from  this  that  the  more  rational  the 
suggestion  the  more  likely  it  is  to  have  the 
designed  effect.  Our  conclusions  are  usually 
arrived  at  from  either  a  conscious,  or  an  uncon- 
scious, process  of  reasoning.  Even  many  of  our 
so-called  intuitions  have  a  solid  foundation  on 
subconscious  mental  action,  though  to  us  they 
seem  spontaneous. 

In  suggesting,  then,  endeavor  to  follow  some 
rational  order. 

In  affirming  health  give  the  ratioyiale  of  the 
assumption. 

Trace  the  beginnings  of  disease  back  to  faulty 
subconscious  mental  action,  and  explain  that,  in 
both  the  hypnotic  and  the  post-hypnotic  state, 
mind  is  dominant. 

Show  how  quickly  pain  leaves  on  asserting  its 
absence. 

Explain  the  law  of  faith  and  the  certain  action 
of  it  in  the  relief  of  ailments. 

All  vital  action  is  determined  by  law  and  to 
work  with  law  is  to  cure  our  ills. 

Show  how  the  curative  action  of  remedies  can 
be  impeded  or  aided  by  our  attitudes  of  mind. 

All  this  is  rational,  and  will  be  accepted  as 
such  by  the  patient. 

Put  the  suggestions  into  the  tersest  and  clear- 
est  language  lest   they  be   misunderstood,   and 


188  THE  PRACTICE  OF  PSYCHO-THERAPY. 

repeat  them  again  and  again,  so  that  memory  of 
sounds  may  aid  in  impressing  the  ideas. 

A  suggestion  that  runs  along  the  hues  of  pre- 
conceived notions  is  more  easily  accepted,  and, 
for  this  reason,  the  physician  using  it  should 
endeavor  to  acquaint  himself  with  the  mental 
grasp  and  peculiarities  of  his  patients.  To  the 
rehgious,  there  must  at  first  be  nothing  to  un- 
settle long-established  beliefs.  Seek  to  suit  the 
suggestion  to  the  case  if  you  would  best  succeed. 
It  would  be  futile  to  present  theories  of  God's 
love  and  care  to  an  atheist,  just  as  it  would  be 
unwise  to  dilate  on  the  action  of  remedies  to  one 
strongly  prejudiced  against  them.  To  be  sure 
the  mind  may  be  gradually  changed  in  its  con- 
victions by  a  series  of  treatments,  especially  if 
the  patient  be  clever  and  the  arguments  well 
put;  but  my  reference  has  been  chiefly  to  im- 
mediate effects. 

Perhaps  the  point  is  well  enough  made  by 
saying  that  much  knowledge  and  discretion  are 
required  to  carry  out  effective  suggestive  treat- 
ment. 

Awakening  the  Patient. 

A  good  deal  of  silly  talk  has 
been  made  over  the  alleged  difficulty  of  awaken- 
ing certain  subjects. 

The  truth  is  that  the  operator  need  never  fear 
such  a  complication.  Most  subjects,  left  to 
themselves  for  only  a  few  minutes,  will  waken, 
unless  a  positive  order  to  do  otherwise  be  issued. 
There  may  be  an  occasional  hysterical  patient 
who  will  refuse  to  respond  at  once  to  the  waking 
order;  but  even  she  need  occasion  no  anxiety. 

It  is  well  to  give  a  suggestion  concerning  the 


EFFECT  DEPENDS  ON  OPERATOR.       189 

duration  of  sleep  and  the  mode  of  waking  from 
it  in  the  early  part  of  the  treatment.  Tell  him 
that  he  will  remain  asleep,  no  matter  what  may 
occur,  until  he  receive  the  waking  command  from 
you.  "You  will  waken  when  I  blow  on  your 
eyes, "  is  a  good  form  of  Suggestion. 

Always  follow  the  same  method  of  arousing 
the  patient  and  he  will  be  unable  to  remain 
asleep  after  receiving  the  usual  signal. 

Some  patients  cannot  bear  to  be  aroused  sud- 
denly. The  effect  appears  to  be  much  like  that 
produced  by  a  sudden  start  from  natural  sleep. 
Those  thus  aroused  may  complain  of  an  un- 
pleasant dizziness.     Say  to  the  subject: 

* '  Now  I  am  going  to  awaken  you.  I  shall 
blow  on  your  eyes,  and  then  you  will  slowly  re- 
turn to  the  wideawake  state,  feeling  fine.  Now 
we  are  ready.  (He  blows  on  the  closed  eyes.) 
See,  you  are  coming  back.  All  things  have 
changed  and  you  are  feeling,  oh,  so  well. " 

There  will  at  first  be  small  movements.  Then 
the  eyes  will  open,  at  first  with  a  curious  ex- 
pression as  though  a  bit  surprised  at  the  environ- 
ment, and  at  last  the  condition  will  become 
normal.  The  phenomena  are  much  those 
attending  an  awakening  from  ordinary  sleep. 

The  Effect  Depends  Largely  on 
the  Operator  and  His  Methods. 

The  methods  must  be 
suited  to  the  cases.  All  cannot  be  treated  alike 
if  we  would  get  the  best  results.  Brusqueness  is 
well  suited  to  certain  people;  with  a  few  one 
cannot  succeed  without  it.  But  in  general  it  is 
far  better  to  employ  gentleness  and  kindness. 


190  THE  PRACTICE  OF  PSYCHO-THERAPY. 

The  Aim  Should 
Be  to  Educate. 

The  physician  should  never  lose 
sight  of  the  thought  that  to  ctire  a  patient  means 
to  educate  him.  Education  means  learning  how 
to  think.  One  who  is  suffering  from  physical 
disturbances  is  disclosing  the  effects  of  wrong 
thinking.  He  may  be  conscious  of  none  but  the 
most  approved  thoughts,  for  the  damaging  con- 
cepts are  commonly  unconscious  thotights.  The 
subjective  has  hold  of  a  wrong  premise,  and  is 
following  the  reasoning  to  a  logical  conclusion. 
There  is  where  the  trouble  comes  in. 

By  means  of  hypnotism  we  are  enabled  to 
reach  the  subjective  consciousness  most  effec- 
tively, and,  from  time  to  time,  we  make  an 
impression  upon  it.  A  single  treatment  does 
not  often  avail.  It  may  set  things  right  for  the 
moment,  but  the  vicious  action  has  been  so  long 
estabhshed  that  there  is  no  speedy  reversing 
of  it.  Correction  must  be  made  time  and  again, 
and  new  premises  must  be  gradually  built,  until, 
at  last,  even  inherited,  as  well  as  acquired,  ten- 
dencies to  wrong  action  are  wholly  overcome. 

The  Salient  Features 
of  Required  Education. 

In  giving  suggestion,  whether 
of  a  systematic  or  of  an  irregular  character,  the 
physician  should  remember  that  the  average  in- 
dividual needs  education  that  shall  look  to  regu- 
lation of  the  emotional  nature.  Feeling  run  riot 
is  the  bane  of  both  the  mental  and  physical 
organism. 

Not  suppression,  but  regulation,  of  ojies  emo- 
tio7is  is  the  great  desideratum. 


SALIENT  FEATURES  OF  EDUCATION.  191 

It  has  been  demonstrated  that  strong  emotions 
of  a  disquieting  nature  are  always  pernicious  if 
allowed  to  gain  ascendency,  while  those  of  an 
opposite  kind  are  clearly  beneficial.  We  are  not 
to  infer  that  our  proper  course  is  to  suppress  the 
former  and  revel  in  the  latter.  A  certain  degree 
of  anger,  on  occasion,  though  it  may  generate  a 
toxin  not  altogether  wholesome  to  the  physical 
organism,  is  not  to  be  condemned.  The  system 
needs  some  foes  to  keep  its  forces  in  good  trim. 
Perpetual  peace  in  both  an  individual  and  a 
nation  is  weakening  and  disintegrating.  The 
internal  dissensions  which  are  common  to  pro- 
tracted peace  quickly  disappear  in  the  presence 
of  a  foe,  for  the  common  interests,  at  such  a  time 
jeoparded,  tend  to  establish  solidarity  of  senti- 
ment and  action. 

But  unbridled  emotion  is  always  harmful,  and 
it  is  against  this  that  we  ought  to  caution  our 
patients. 

"Anger,  anxiety  or  fear  will  poison  the  secretions  of 
the  body,"  says  Dr.  Arthur  O.  Sax;  '<  anger  or  fright 
promotes  a  secretion  of  poison  in  the  sac  of  a  venomous 
snake  and  this  is  where  the  snake  is  ahead  of  man.  We 
have  no  organ  in  which  we  may  store  the  toxins  which 
we  develop  for  the  same  purpose  perhaps  as  snakes  and 
consequently  we  poison  ourselves  with  the  material 
which  was  meant  for  our  enemies." 

It  is  true  that  a  strong  character  is  impossible 
without  strong  emotion.  It  is  an  expression  of 
dynamic  energy. 

"The  ennobling  difference  between  one  man 
and  another,"  says  Ruskin,  "between  one  ani- 
mal and  another,  is  precisely  in  this,  that  one 
feels  more  than  another." 

It  is  the  difference  between  the  rushing,  push- 
ing,  roaring,    uncontrolled  waste   of   power  ex- 


192  THE  PRACTICE  OF  PSYCHO-THERAPY. 

pressed  in  the  rapids  of  Niagara,  and  the  silent, 
but  tremendous,  effect  of  the  same  power  har- 
nessed and  made  to  transmit  electric  energy  great 
distances  for  useful  purposes. 

Mail  does  not  want  less  feeling,  less  true  emo- 
tion, but  he  wants  it  so  controlled  that  it  shall  be 
a  minister  to  mental  and  physical  needs  rather 
than  a  destroyer  of  me7ital  a^td physical  vitality. 

There  are  countless  instances  of  disease,  both 
organic  and  functional,  caused  by  various  disturb- 
ing emotions.  My  readers  very  well  know  that 
malignant  disease  is  far  more  likely  to  develop 
under  the  influence  of  depressing  mental  states. 

The  people  need  to  be  taught  the  tremendous 
influence  of  mental  upon  physical  conditions. 

Women  suffer  more  because  their  emotional 
nature  is  less  disciplined  than  man's.  They  are 
ruled  by  feeling.  Mainly  from  this  cause  women 
have  become  bundles  of  complaints.  A  well 
woman  is  becoming  an  exception.  Women  need 
to  have  their  v/eaknesses  pointed  out  and  to  re- 
ceive suggestion  that  shall  lift  them  to  a  higher 
mental  and  physical  plane.  Once  make  them 
believe  that  their  physical  redemption  lies  along 
the  lines  of  better  self-control  and  they  will  grad- 
ually be  raised  to  a  healthier  and  happier  state. 

"The  part  of  wisdom  as  well  as  of  courage," 
says  Prof.  James,  "is  to  believe  what  is  in  the 
line  of  your  needs,  for  only  by  such  belief  is  the 
need  fulfilled." 

Men  are  just  as  sadly  in  need  of  education. 
The  sense  of  restless  energy  impels  the  young 
man  to  action.  He  feels  an  uneasiness  that 
demands  expression.  Instead  of  turning  that 
energy  into  wise  and  useful  channels  he  lets  it 
run  to  waste  in  practices  that,  for  the  moment, 


POST-HYPNOTIC  SUGGESTION.  193 

seem  to  satisfy.  By  continuance  these  customs 
become  fixed  habits  and  the  man's  moral  and 
physical  powers  suffer  deterioration. 

Our  various  appetites  are  doubtless  given  us  for 
enjoyment  as  well  as  service.  They  need  only 
direction  and  wise  control.  We  should  eat  and 
drink  wholesome  things  and  not  overindulge  even 
in  these.  Every  function  of  the  body  was  in- 
tended to  be  exercised  and  when  kept  under 
wise  regulation  by  volition  such  exercise  min- 
isters to  health  and  happiness.  But  excess  de- 
stroys both  and  the  moral  nature — which  is  built 
up  by  volition — falls  into  ruin,  carrying  down  the 
physical  with  it. 

Men  need  to  have  their  weaknesses  pointed 
out  and  to  be  impelled  into  healthier  and  happier 
living  by  the  power  of  suggestion. 

Of  all  emotions  that  work  pernicious  effects 
upon  the  mind  and*  body  fear  is  the  most  potent 
and  destructive.  There  is  probably  no  one  who 
has  not,  at  some  time,  felt  its  dominating  power. 
Men  and  women  of  all  classes  and  conditions  are 
suffering  its  effects.  Few  realize  its  evil  influ- 
ence, while  fewer  still  know  how  to  rid  them- 
selves of  it.  Relief  lies  in  the  direction  of  sug- 
gestion, and  nowhere  else. 

I  find  a  foeman  in  the  road,  called  Fear  : 
To  doubt  is  failure ;  but  to  dare,  success. 

Post-Hypnotic  Sugfgfestion. 

A  singular  feature  of  the 
phenomena  of  hypnotism  is  known  as  Post-Hyp- 
notic Suggestion.  In  it  we  appear  to  find  posi- 
tive proof  of  the  duality  of  mind.  It  is  available 
for  curative  purposes. 

For  example,  the  patient,  while  in.  hypnosis,  is 


194  THE  PRACTICE  OF  PSYCHO-THERAPY. 

told  that,  at  a  certain  time,  he  will  experience  a 
sensation  of  a  certain  character,  and,  at  the  time 
appointed,  surely  enough,  without  recollection  of 
the  prediction,  he  does  experience  it.  We  will 
suppose  he  is  told  that  a  remedy  about  to  be 
prescribed  for  his  relief  will,  on  its  third  repeti- 
tion, be  distinctly  felt  to  assist  curative  action  as 
indicated  in  a  sensation  of  warmth  extending  all 
through  the  body,  and  a  sense  of  revulsion  in  the 
affected  organ,  and  that  these  sensations  will  be 
succeeded  by  a  consciousness  of  positive  relief 
and  an  assurance  of  rapidly-returning  health. 

Can  you  not  see  what  an  instrument  for  good 
such  a  suggestion  may  become  ? 

I  give  this  as  a  mere  illustration.  Of  course 
the  suggestion  will  be  varied  to  suit  particular 
cases. 

It  will  be  found  that  most  patients  receiving 
such  a  suggestion  will  experience  the  symptoms 
mentioned  and  be  correspondingly  benefited 
thereby. 

The  possibilities  of  post-hypnotic  suggestion 
are  very  great,  and  he  who  most  wisely  avails 
himself  of  them  will  be  most  successful. 


V. 


The  Practice  of  Psycho-Therapy 

(continued) 


(195) 


"Tell  Mm  that  hts  very  longing 

Is  itself  an  answering  cry; 
That  his  prayer,  'Come,  gracious  Allah  1' 

Is  my  answer,  'Here  am  I.' 
Every  inmost  aspiration 

Is  God's  angel  undeflled  ; 
And  in  every  'O  my  Father  V 

Slumbers  deep  a  'Here,  my  child/  " 

"Unconscious  education  is  more  powerful  and  lasting  than 
conscious  education.  Habit  goes  farther  than  precept,  and 
we  must  ascribe  most  of  our  successes  with  ourselves  to  the 
format  on  of  good  habits. 

"Accordinf,'ly,  the  way  to  check  a  bad  habit  is  to  form  a  good 
one  in  its  place.  Character  represents  but.the  sum  of  one's 
habits."— -Leouitt. 

"All  being  assumes  form.  Every  thought,  however'fleeting, 
tends  to  unite  with  feeling ;  every  emotion,  however  vague, 
tends  to  unite  with  thought,  becoming  an  idea— a  thing  of 
life,  and  taking  form  in  the  cosmic  matter  which  is  the 
matrix  or  mother  principle."— M.  Woodbury  Sawyer. 


(196) 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  PRACTICE  OF  PSYCHO-THERAPY— Continued. 
THE  PLACE  OF  SUGGESTIOH  IS  ROUTINE  PRACTICE. 

A  physician's  experience  consists  largely  of  a 
routine  of  duties  that  are  made  bearable  by  a 
sense  of  suffering  mitigated  and  disorders  healed. 
The  doctor  goes  through  the  daily  grind  with  a 
degree  of  cheerfulness  and  courage  incompre- 
hensible to  the  lay  mind  that  may  see  only  the 
melancholy  and  disagreeable  features. 

But  the  physician  who  loves  his  work  is  never 
satisfied  with  following  exactly  the  same  course 
and  using  exactly  the  same  remedies  day  after 
day.     To  him 

"Every  day  is  a  fresh  beginning." 

The  experience  of  yesterday  must  be  im- 
proved upon.  He  utilizes  the  lessons  of  past 
failures  and  gathers  all  his  powers  for  a  new 
and  more  promising  attack  on  his  obstinate  foe. 
He  is  continually  studying  and  planning. 

Many  innovations  are  suggested;  many  new 
remedies  are  offered.  From  among  them  he 
selects  those  which  to  him  appear  most  promis- 
ing. He  finds  himself  too  often  worsted  to  be 
satisfied  with  his  present  equipment. 

A  means  of  cure  that  fits  into  the  grooves  of 
practice,  that  does  not  involve  cumbersome 
apparatus  and  that  can  be  utilized  in  the  office 
and  at  the  bedside,  must  be  recognized  as  a 
desideratum. 

(197) 


198  THE  PRACTICE  OF  PSYCHO-THERAPY. 

This  is  precisely  what  suggestion  offers. 

The  purpose  of  the  author  is  to  illustrate  the 
value  of  suggestion,  to  show  how  it  can  be 
adapted  to  practice  and  made  useful  under  the 
inconstant  phases  of  morbidity. 

USXS  OF  SUGGESTIOIT  IN  MEDICAL  PRACTICE. 

Modern  practice  has  a  distinct  line  of  demar- 
cation running  through  it  and  the  two  grand 
divisions  are  termed  (1)  Medicine  and  (2)  Surgery. 

Demeanor  of  Physician. 

The  physician  commonly 
meets  his  patients  either  at  his  own  ofhce  or  at 
the  bedside. 

The  very  courtesy  with  which  the  patient  is 
greeted  has  the  power  of  a  suggestion  in  it. 
There,  of  course,  should  be  an  intimation  of  per- 
sonal poise  and  power  in  it  which  cannot  fail  to 
impress  the  patient  and  to  pave  the  way  for  the 
curative  suggestion  that  may  follow.  To  the 
patient  it  also  bespeaks  interest ;  and  since  inter- 
est in  turn  imphes  sympathy,  the  sufferer  hails 
it  as  a  prophecy  of  help. 

The  Examination. 

Means  and  methods  of  investiga- 
tion play  an  important  role  that  the  charlatan 
has  been  quick  to  recognize  and  utilize.  The 
average  patient  is  impressed  by  an  array  of  in- 
struments and  is  mystified  by  their  use  in  diag- 
nosis. The  stethoscope,  the  speculum,  the  oph- 
thalmoscope and  the  microscope  have  a  utility 
beyond,  if  not  above,  that  for  which  they  were 
designed. 


POSITIVE    DIAGNOSIS.  199 

On  the  other  hand,  there  is  a  suggestive  power 
in  a  renunciation  of  all  these,  and  an  examination, 
the  penetration  of  which  appears  to  make  all 
these  helps  unnecessary. 

We  find,  upon  reflection,  that  we  are  daily 
employing  suggestive  therapeutics  in  our  routine 
practice,  in  most  instances  without  having  recog- 
nized its  true  character.  In  the  speech,  in  the 
expression  of  countenance,  in  the  bits  of  civility, 
or  the  lack  of  them,  we  are  preparing  the  minds 
of  our  patients  to  receive  as  truth  the  more  direct 
assurances  that  may  be  given. 

Positive  Diagnosis. 

Then,  when  we  have  examined 
our  patient,  the  manner  of  making  known  our 
conclusions  carries  much  weight.  A  spirit  of 
uncertainty  chills  and  paralyzes.  During  the 
progress  of  an  examination  the  patient  is  usually 
a  keen  and  wistful  observer.  He  realizes  that 
on  the  conclusions  derived  from  it  much  of  his 
weal  or  woe  probably  depends.  It  is  a  wise 
physician  who  remembers  these  truths  and  who 
seeks  by  word  and  look  to  disclose  the  recogni- 
tion of  a  chain  of  symptoms  that  mean  much  to 
the  subject's  discriminating  vision. 

At  the  conclusion  of  an  examination  only  posi- 
tive opinions  carry  much  force.  To  express  un- 
certainty in  diagnosis  or  prognosis  is  always  weak- 
ening. It  is  far  better  to  be  positive  and  err  than 
to  be  wavering.  You  can  be  forgiven  if  wrong,  for 
your  very  assurance  will  have  done  the  patient  a 
certain  amount  of  good,  even  though  it  was  only 
for  the  time.  Clear  notes  are  more  pleasing 
than  mere  noises,  for  they  are  musical.  It  takes 
courage  and  confidence  to  be  positive:  anybody 


200  THE  PRACTICE  OF  PSYCHO-THERAPY. 

can   be  negative.     A  positive  conclusion,  after  a' 
careful  examination,  smacks  of  skill  and  ability. 
Says  Dr.  Carpenter : 

"That  the  confident  expectation  of  a  cure  is  the  most 
potent  means  of  bringing  it  about,  doing  that  which  no 
medical  treatment  can  accomplish,  may  be  affirmed  as 
the  generalized  result  of  experiences  of  the  most  varied 
kind,  extending  through  a  long  series  of  ages." 

When  succeeding  to  a  case  that  has  been 
dragging  under  the  care  of  others  until  discour- 
agement makes  a  cure  under  existing  circum- 
stances impossible,  the  patient  must  be  infused 
with  new  courage  if  one  hope  to  succeed.  With- 
out violating  any  ethical  principles  it  is  possible 
to  do  this.  The  chief  study  should  be  fixed  upon 
the  best  manner  of  compassing  one's  purpose. 

Diagnostic  and  prognostic  conclusions  that  are 
jumped  to  will  not  be  likely  to  impress;  and  it 
may  not  be  wise  to  venture  a  positive  opinion  at 
the  first  visit.  The  lawyer  prefers  to  reserve  his 
opinion  until  he  has  had  time  to  examine  author- 
ities and  reason  out  a  conclusion.  If  contra- 
indications do  not  clearly  forbid,  the  effect  of 
withholding  one's  opinion  may  have  a  good 
effect. 

The  Prescription. 

The  prescription  should  be  a 
finality.  All  the  suggestions  ought  to  lead  up  to 
it,  so  that  at  the  last  the  patient's  mind  shall  be 
riveted  upon  it.  Indications  of  deliberate 
thought  concerning  the  treatment  have  a  whole- 
some effect.  There  is  a  period  of  evident  un- 
certainty, during  which  the  physician  discloses 
an  effort  to  differentiate ;  and  then  follows  the 
final  choice.  The  patient  and  friends  are  im- 
pressed by  the  mental  action  and  interaction  of 


THE    PRESCRIPTION.  201 


the  process — the  play  of  mental  forces — as  the 
physician  weighs  physical  and  mental  indications. 

Having  chosen  the  remedy,  its  action  is  as- 
sured by  giving  the  patient  definite  indications 
of  what  you  expect  from  it.  The  remedy  itself 
should  not  be  disclosed.  The  deeper  the  air 
of  mystery  the  profounder  the  effect.  It  has 
been  a  common  practice  with  certain  eminently 
successful  physicians  to  work  up  their  patients' 
minds  to  a  high  degree  of  expectation  and  to 
create  a  vivid  conception  of  the  promised  action 
of  the  remedy  before  administering  it. 

Such  a  practice  is  founded  on  psychic  princi- 
ples and  is  to  be  commended.  Besides,  the 
effect  is  far  more  hkely  to  develop  wnat  we  seek 
if  the  remedy  be  carefully  chosen  and  the  sug- 
gestion correspond  to  the  pathogenetic  action  of 
the  drug. 

Do  7iotfo7'get  that  action  is  always  more  easily 
excited  along  lines  of  least  resistance. 

It  is  wise  to  enter  into  an  exegesis  to  the 
patient  of  the  expected  action  of  the  remedy, 
and  after  doing  this  the  effect  is  intensified  by 
being  most  explicit  concerning  the  directions  for 
taking  it.  I  have  found  good  effects  from  hav- 
ing each  dose  of  the  drug  put  into  a  glass  of  hot 
water  and  slowly  sipped.  Patients  have  reported 
that  they  formed  a  real  liking  for  such  a  draught 
because  of  the  marked  effect  observed. 

Remedies  given  in  any  unusual  way,  as  by 
hypodermic  injection,  are  more  pronounced  i7i 
their  action,  as  I  have  demonstrated  a  thousand 
times. 

Precise  directions  with  respect  to  the  intervals 
between  doses  are  of  much  value.  I  knew  an 
old  doctor,  now  dead,    with  little  knowledije  of 


202  THE  PRACTICE  OF  PSYCHO-THERAPY. 

medicine  and  no  general  education,  whose  suc- 
cess, which  was  quite  wonderful,  was  due  to  the 
very  causes  just  alluded  to.  His  remedies  were 
thought  to  have  magical  virtues,  and  they  cer- 
tainly did  appear  to  work  some  surprising  cures. 
But  the  results  were  almost  wholly  due  to  the 
suggestions  made,  though  I  do  not  suppose  that 
even  he  was  aware  of  it. 

There  is  this  to  be  said  concerning  the  reme- 
dies themselves :  None  have  so  pronounced  effects 
as  those  which  the  doctor  himself  dispenses.  Drugs 
that  come  out  of  a  store  where  every  one  can  be 
served,  and  where  the  air  is  redolent  with  the 
emanations  from  them,  do  not  carry  the  same 
influence  as  do  those  carefully  put  up  by  the 
ph3'sician  and  given  out  by  his  own  hand,  with 
explicit  directions. 

Proprietary  remedies,  with  general  directions, 
are  to  be  discountenanced. 

In  connection  with  the  prescription  there  are  a 
thousand  ways  of  projecting  powerful  sugges- 
tions that  cannot  fail  to  act  with  helpful  energy. 

When  once  the  principles  of  psychic  impression 
are  recognized,  one  finds  innumerable  occasions  to 
avail  07tes  self  of  their  aid. 

Bedside  Visits. 

In  house  visits  the  opportunity  to 
practice  suggestion  is  equally  great.  The  patient 
is  usually  in  bed,  and  expectant.  It  is,  say,  the 
first  visit.  It  may  be  that  you  come  as  a 
stranger,  but  more  likely  you  come  as  one  con- 
cerning whom  the  patient  and  friends  have 
heard  much.  There  is  alarm  in  the  household, 
an  unfavorable  outcome  being  feared.    Agitation, 


FREQUENCY   OF   CALLS.  203 

fear,  hope,  grief  have  wrought  their  full  measure 
of  disturbance  in  the  minds  of  all. 

Under  such  circumstances  every  word  and  act 
of  the  physician  is  full  of  significance  to  the 
patient  and  friends.  How  closely  they  scan  his 
countenance !  Is  there  a  ray  of  hope  to  be  found 
in  his  face?  He  looks  grave  and  perplexed:  this 
must  mean  that  he  sees  little  chance  for  the 
patient.  But  hold,  he  has  found  a  new  line  of 
symptoms.  His  countenance  brightens.  He 
had  smiled  before,  but  with  an  expression  of 
pity  and  grief.  Now  it  is  plain  that  the  smile 
carries  abundant  hope.  Then  comes  assurances. 
The  patient,  though  very  ill,  he  thinks  shows 
signs  of  beginning  recovery.  The  hidden  forces 
of  nature  have  evidently  acquired  new  energy. 
The  prescription?  Well,  there  are  but  a  few 
remedies  required — perhaps  but  one.  They  will 
fit  into  right  places  and  give  added  power. 
"Courage,  now,  "  he  says,  "we  are  in  the  broad 
sunlight  when  we  thought  we  were  under  the 
cloud.     All  is  well." 

Under  such  conditions  we  nearly  always  find 
that  Health  waits  just  around  the  corner. 

How  little  does  the  average  physiciari  realize 
the  tremendous  forces  at  his  comma7id,  awaiting 
only  deft  manipulation  to  adapt  them  to  his  aid. 
He  who  recognizes  them  and  learns  the  lazvs  con- 
trolliiig  their  utilization  becomes  a  real  wonder- 
worker. THIS  IS  THE  TRUE  THAUMATURGY  OF 
MEDICINE. 

Frequency  of  Calls. 

In  carrying  out  suggestive  treat- 
ment the  patient  ought  to  be  seen  at  short  inter- 
vals.    The  movement  begun  needs   to  be  sus- 


204  THE  PRACTICE  OF  PSYCHO-THERAPY. 

tained.  There  will  be  a  strong  disposition  on 
the  part  of  the  patient  to  drop  again  into  the 
ruts  now  so  deeply  worn  and  he  will  have  to  be 
lifted  out  time  and  again  and  set  on  smooth 
ground.  To  secure  co-operation  in  the  attempt 
at  restoration  it  may  be  advisable  to  make  what 
will  look  to  an  economical  patient  like  unneces- 
sary expense.  There  are  many  people  who  think 
a  few  office  calls  or  house  visits,  distributed 
through  much  time,  ample  provision  to  effect  any 
cure.  If  the  patient  be  really  unable  to  pay,  the 
physician  must  do  as  he  has  always  done :  charge 
his  services  up  to  "profit  and  loss."  But  a 
penurious  spirit  on  the  patient's  part  will  seri- 
ously handicap  the  physician's  best  efforts  to 
make  a  cure. 

Be  plain.  Insist  on  having  your  own  way  in 
the  treatment,  and,  if  refused,  decline  the  case. 
Your  success  as  a  physician  at  the  last  depends 
on  your  achievements,  and  you  cannot  afford  to 
fritter  away  your  energies  on  those  who  are 
determined  to  restrict  your  necessary  attentions. 


VI 


The  Practice  of   Psycho-Therapy 

(continubd) 


(205) 


"  S'pose  success  don't  come  at  fust; 

What  be  you  goin'  to  dew  7 
Throw  up  the  sponge  and  kick  yourself, 

An'  go  to  feelin'  blue  1 
tJv  course  you  ain't ;  your  goin'  to  fish, 

An'  bait,  an'  bait  agin ; 
Bimeby  success  will  bite  your  hook, 

And  you  will  pull  him  in." 

'  The  power  of  mental  concentration  is  a  most  desirable  one, 
and  yet  it  will  prove  a  source  of  distress  unless  properly 
disciplined.  The  hysterical  patient  belongs  to  the  wrongly- 
concentrating  class.  She  sets  her  thougnt  upon  morbid 
sensations  and  unwholesome  concepts.  The  most  pro- 
nounced types  of  hysteria  are  oftentimes  manifpsted  in 
those  of  much  mental  and  physical  strength.  They  are 
examples  of  energy  going  to  wasto.  They  are  the  most 
obdurate  class  of  patients.  Convergent  mental  strabismus 
in  women  of  strong  volition  and  developed  mind  can  be 
relieved  only  by  clever  management  and  oft-repeated  sug- 
gestions of  a  graded  ci  i aracter.  These  patients  can  be  cured, 
but  much  time  and  effort  are  required  to  effect  the  desired 
result.  "—lyeauitt. 

Let  this  be  your  teaching:  ".Anticipate  nothing  but  good 
in  the  future.  Burn  all  'iolefnl  prophecies;  they  are  lies. 
Some  evil  must  befall  you,  but  those  about  which  you  are 
certain  wiU  never  come  true.    The  Devil  is  no  prophet." 

—Frank  C.  Haddock. 

In  a  recent  number  of  the  British  Medical  Journal  this 
frank  admission  is  found  :  "  Disease  of  the  body  is  so  much 
influenced  by  the  mind  that  in  each  case  we  have  to  un- 
derstand the  patient  quite  as  much  as  the  malady.  This  ig 
not  learnt  in  hospitals." 


(206) 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE   PRACTICE  OF  PSYCHO-THERAPY— Continued. 
HOlT-ROUTIirE  SUGGESTIVE  TREATMEITT. 

Thus  far  we  have  considered  mainly  a  physi- 
cian's routine  treatment  and  have  pointed  out 
certain  features  of  it  pecuharly  open  to  the  adap- 
tation of  psychic  impression.  Now  we  will  turn 
to  more  pronounced  suggestion  and  offer  certain 
modes  of  treatment,  the  effect  of  which  has  been 
repeatedly  verified. 

But  before  entering  upon  a  detailed  relation  of 
these  it  will  be  well  to  refer  again  to  some  prin- 
ciples of  treatment  that  deserve  to  be  empha- 
sized. 

It  has  elsewhere  been  said  that  a  suggestion, 
to  be  most  effective,  should  be  given  with  energy 
and  impressiveness.  This  feature  of  treatment 
is  all-important.  I  shall  not  attempt  to  do  more 
than  lay  down  general  rules  of  procedure,  indi- 
cating certain  features  of  treatment  that  have 
given  me  good  results 

Darkness. 

Mind  readers  claim  they  succeed  better 
in  their  tests  when  blindfolded  than  when  mov- 
ing and  reading  with  open  eyes.  The  eyes  of 
the  clairvoyant  are  usually  closed  when  she  is 
"reading."  Why?  Because  distracting  sights 
are  shut  out  by  darkness.  They  would  probably 
do  better  still  with  the  sense  of  hearing  dulled 
through  muffling. 

(207) 


208  THE  PRACTICE  OF  PSYCHO-THERAPY. 

In  concentrating  the  mind  we  seek  to  get.  as 
far  away  from  the  sense  vibrations  as  possible. 
I  often  find  myself  closing  my  eyes  when  mak- 
ing a  tactual  examination  of  patients,  and  even 
when  sitting  alone  in  thought.  In  shutting  the 
eyes  we  bar  out  much  of  the  distracting  world 
of  physical  phenomena  and  enter  the  realm  of 
shadow,  which  we  proceed  to  people  according 
to  our  fancy. 

In  pursuance  of  this  theory  and  to  insure  the 
banishment  of  all  diverting  sights,  we  may  put 
the  patient  into  a  dark  room,  or  we  may  insist  on 
closed  eyes. 

With  the  avenues  of  vision  in  some  such  way 
shut  off,  the  mind  of  the  patient  has  less  mate- 
rial upon  v/hich  to  operate  and  is  more  easily 
concentrated  upon  the  suggestions  that  may  be 
given. 

The  suggestions  themselves  can  be  most  con- 
veniently given  by  word  of  mouth,  the  utterance 
being  slow  and  distinct,  bearing  to  the  sense  of 
the  patient  an  impression  of  sincerity  and  truth. 
Since  the  mind  of  one  who  is  ill  has  less  than 
the  average  amount  of  stability,  attention  is 
easily  diverted.  Accordingly  it  will  be  found 
advisable  to  occasionally  recall  the  possibly  wan- 
dering thought  by  sharp  and  forcible  commands, 
like,  "Listen,"  "Now hearken,"  "Notice  what  I 
say,"  etc.  It  is  well  to  repeat  a  suggestion  in 
the  identical  words,  time  and  again,  so  that  the 
ear  may  hold,  and  later  reiterate  to  the  subcon- 
sciousness, what  the  consciousness  does  not  at 
the  moment  fully  comprehend. 

The  suggestions  are  given  much  greater  force 
also  by  a  few  introductory  remarks  in  the  way  of 
preparation  for  what  is  to  follow.     Dilate,  if  you 


HISTIONIC  SUGGESTION. 
(  Alter  Hudson.) 


DARKNESS. 


209 


please,  on  the  wretchedness  of  present  conditions 
and  give  positive  assurance  of  the  restoration  to 
ensue.  Explain  briefly  the  manner  of  its  com- 
ing, in  relief  of  pain  and  an  increasing  sense  of 
health  stealing  into  every  part.  Health  is  to 
grow  out  of  unwholesome  conditions;  light  is  to 
dispel  darkness ;  faith  is  to  supplant  despondency ; 
and  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit  of  Life  are  to  become 
manifest. 

The  character  of  the  talk  will  be  determined 
largely  by  the  intelligence  of  the  subject.  The 
healer's  success  will  depend  in  great  measure  on 
his  ability  to  interpret  his  patient's  character  and 
to  supply  his  peculiar  needs. 

While  in  the  darkness,  an  affirmation  may  be 
fastened  in  the  mind  by  turning  focused  rays  of 
Hght  upon  a  slate  or  chart,  whereon,  in  plain 
letters,  the  affirmation  appears.  One  can  readily 
fancy  the  effect  of  this  when  the  written  or 
printed  suggestion  is  tersely  put. 


As  A  Man  Thinketh 

IN  HIS  Heart 

So  Is  He" 


Figure  U.    Slate  with  Sample  Suggestion. 

Another  method  of  impressing,  well  adapted 
to  office  practice,  is  the  use  of  the  graphophone. 


210  THE  PRACTICE  OF  TSYCHO-THERAPY. 

The  physician  can  make  his  own  records,  and, 
with  sHght  expense,  provide  records  specially 
suited  to  individual  cases. 

The  procedure  is  made  most  effective  by  use 
of  the  tubes.  The  words  then  come  as  though 
spoken  loudly  into  the  ears,  and  the  impression 
is  correspondingly  strong. 

The  same  machine  can  thus  be  used  both  to 
soothe  and  to  excite.  It  is  capable  of  giving 
most  pronounced  suggestive  aid  to  those  who 
are  not  only  confined  to  the  bed,  but  even  those 
who  are  objectively  unconscious.  For  certain 
cases  it  is  serviceable  in  office  practice. 

A  helpful  suggestion  repeated  again  and  again 
cannot  fail  to  contribute  much  aid  in  the  cure  of 
disease. 

Close  the  Patient's  Eyes.      .  .  ,  , 

It  IS  not  always  either  ad- 
visable or  possible  to  treat  patients  in  a  dark 
room.  Fortunately  we  are  able  in  other  ways 
to  shut  out  diverting  and  distracting  sights. 

For  ordinary  office  treatment  I  deem  it  best 
to  seat  the  patient  in  a  chair  with  a  moderately 
low  back.  The  physician  should  then  take  a 
position  behind  the  patient  and  lay  his  hands 
upon  the  forehead  and  eyes.  The  position  is 
convenient,  modest,  and,  I  may  add,  command- 
ing. It  is  one  that  the  most  sensitive  woman 
would  not  object  to.  It  is  the  most  desirable 
position  for  suggestive  treatment,  whether  the 
intention  be  to  give  the  suggestions  with,  or 
without,  hypnosis. 

Sug:§:estion  by  Manipulation.^         ,    , 

One  of  the  most  popular 

methods  of  administering  suggestion  is  that  com- 


SUGGESTIONS  WITH  VACUUM  TREATMENT.      211 

monly  known  as  Osteopathy.  There  is  a  certain 
amount  of  benefit  to  be  had  from  the  passive 
exercise  that  it  affords,  just  as  there  is  from 
massage,  of  which  it  is  really  another  form. 
Men  are  more  successful  with  it  than  are  women, 
because  they  have  more  physical  and  mental 
strength. 

Digital  pressure  on  either  side  of  the  vertebral 
bodies  throughout  the  entire  length  of  the  spine, 
accompanied  with  an  explanation  of  the  good  to 
be  derived  from  such  massage  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  sympathetic  ganglia,  is  sure  to  be  of  much 
service,  especially  to  those  who  are  neurasthenic. 

With  regard  to  such  treatment  it  will  be  un- 
derstood that  the  more  stress  put  upon  the  sug- 
gestion of  good  to  ensue,  the  better  the  result. 
There  is  httle  room  to  doubt  that  the  beneficial 
effects  resulting  from  all  forms  of  manipulative 
treatment  proceed  from  the  psychic  impression 
that  they  make. 

Suggestion  with 
Vacuum  Treatment. 

What  has  been  termed  "Va- 
cuum Treatment,"  which  is  the  application  of 
cups  to  a  part,  most  frequently  the  spine,  falls 
within  the  same  category.  It  is  a  mode  of  treat- 
ment from  which  much  good  may  be  had  in 
many  cases,  especially  to  those  with  spinal 
lesions,  provided  the  suggestion  of  rational 
effects  be  properly  made.  I  have  a  few  patients 
who  regard  it  as  a  panacea. 

Suggestion  with  Electricity. 

I    had  been    using    elec- 
tricity a  long  time  before  I  became  convinced 


212  THE  PRACTICE  OF  PSYCHO-THERAPY. 

that  its  true  value  was  to  be  found  in  the  energy 
of  the  suggestion  that  it  gives.  I  now  have  no 
doubt  of  this.  It  is  one  of  the  best  agencies  for 
cure  that  the  physician  has  at  command.  Every- 
thing associated  with  it  has  a  psychic  smack. 
First  of  all  there  is  the  fear  with  which  many 
regard  it.  In  school  days  they  may  have  experi- 
enced one  of  its  "shocks"  with  which  the  teacher 
loves  to  illustrate  the  electric  energy,  or  from 
some  "family  battery"  they  may  have  taken  a 
dose  through  the  hands,  and  the  sensation  has 
left  a  memory  of  raiher  an  unpleasant  experi- 
ence. Then  there  is  the  thought  that  electricity 
lights  our  houses,  runs  our  cars,  kills  our  mur- 
derers, and  flashes  in  the  lightning  that  illum- 
ines the  heavens  in  the  darkness  of  a  thunder- 
storm. 

The  quiet  energy  of  the  regulated  current, 
known  to  be  so  potent,  is  impressive.  After  a 
first  gentle  treatment  most  of  my  patients  ex- 
press their  emotions  and  testify  to  the  mental 
effect  produced  by  such  an  ejaculation,  as: 
"Electricity  is  a  wonderful  thing,  doctor, 
isn't  it?" 

To  those  of  my  readers  who  have  used  elec- 
tricity with  beneht,  let  me  say  that,  if  they  will 
now  distinctly  associate  with  it  the  psychic 
thought,  and  seek  by  means  of  it  to  augment  the 
power  of  curative  suggestion,  they  will  witness 
thaumaturgic  phenomena  such  as  would  have  set 
the  old  world  ablaze  with  enthusiastic  reports  of 
Divine  interposition  in  behalf  of  ailing  humanity. 

Sugfgestion  with 
the  Inverted  Plane. 

While  I  am  mentioning  some 


THE   INVERTED   PLANE.  213 

of  the  many  means  by  which  we  may  deepen 
curative  impression  I  should  not  omit  the  In- 
verted Plane.  Two-thirds  of  Hfe  is  spent  with 
the  trunk  of  the  body  in  an  erect  position.  This 
means  that  those  parts  of  the  body  below  the 
cardiac  level  are  all  this  time  being  easily  sup- 
plied with  the  circulatory  fluid,  while  those 
above  the  same  level  are  receiving  their  supply 
at  an  expense  of  greater  effort.  Not  only  is  this 
true,  but  we  should  remember,  in  the  same  con- 
nection, that  the  blood  on  one  side  is  being  lifted 
back  to  the  heart  against  the  force  of  gravity, 
while  from  the  other  side  it  is  materially  aided 
on  its  return  by  gravity.  The  result  cannot  fail 
to  be  a  more  or  less  unbalanced  circulation,  the 
results  of  which  can  plainly  be  traced  in  later  life. 

I  do  not  need  to  stop  here  to  expatiate  upon 
the  ill-effects  liable  to  result  from  such  a  natural 
partiahty  in  the  sanguineous  distribution.  My 
purpose  is  only  to  show  that  the  possibility  of 
harmful  effects  constitutes  a  basis  for  an  exped- 
ient that  greatly  aids  in  administering  curative 
suggestion.  You  may  deny,  if  you  will,  the 
harmful  tendency  of  the  conditions  mentioned, 
at  the  same  time  there  would  be  no  difficulty  in 
convincing  a  patie7it  of  the  possibility  of  harm 
resulting  therefrom. 

My  plan  of  treatment  is  to  use  the  adjustable 
office  chair,  and,  after  placing  the  patient  upon 
it  in  the  dorsal  position  and  lowering  the  leg 
support  so  as  to  prevent  sliding  when  the  head 
is  depressed,  give  an  incline  of  ten  or  twenty 
degrees. 

In  this  position  the  patient  is  allowed  to  re- 
main, if  reasonably  comfortable,  for  ten  or  fifteen 
minutes,    during  which  time  the  suggestion   of 


214  THE  PRACTICE  OF  PSYCHO-THERAPY. 

help  from  the  treatment  is  being  impressed. 
She  is  then  returned  to  the  horizontal  for  a  few 
moments  before  being  allowed  to  assume  the 
upright  posture. 

Of  course  this  treatment  is  not  adapted  to  all 
cases,  and  with  old  people  it  should  be  used 
with  much  caution,  if  at  all. 

Sugfgestion  Expedi- 
ents at  tbe  Bedside. 

In  addition  to  certain  of  the  ex- 
pedients already  mentioned,  in  hospital  and 
domiciliary  practice,  there  are  others  of  which 
the  resourceful  physician  may  avail  himself. 
Among  them  are  sponge  baths  of  alcohol  or 
water  containing  substances  that  will  gently 
tingle  when  applied  to  the  skin.  A  few  drops 
of  capsicum  or  cantharis  in  a  pint  of  water  will 
serve  the  purpose.  If  applied  over  the  seat  of 
the  trouble  it  will  better  serve  the  purpose. 

The  true  effect  of  these,  as  of  most  other 
applications,  including  sinapisms,  is  derived  from 
their  psychic  action.  Anything  of  the  kind  holds 
the  attention  to  the  affected  region,  with  the 
associated  thought  of  cure.  The  action  is  much 
like  that  of  most  efficient  remedies  given  inter- 
nally. The  chief  difference  lies  in  dependence 
on  the  selective  power  of  the  latter  and  the 
direct  application  of  the  Other. 

The  objective  and  subjective  attention  brings 
about  the  curative  movement.  It  is  an  axiom 
of  demonstrable  psychology  that  attention  deter- 
mines action. 

Then  there  are  the  colored  rays  of  light,  the  oft- 
repeated  assurances,  the  cheerful  faces  of  attend- 
ants,   the   suppression  of   all   signs    of    serious 


SUGGESTION    EXPEDIENTS.  215 

anxiety,  the  hanging  of  beautiful  pictures  and 
cheerful  mottoes,  the  reading  of  selected  stories 
and  humorous  bits,  together  with  the  thousand- 
and-one  things  which  will  occur  to  the  mind  of 
one  who  has  faith  in  the  curative  power  of  mental 
suggestion.  All  these  are  useful  in  their  several 
places. 


'What  would'st  thou?    All  is  thine. 
The  ways  are  opening  for  thee. 
The  light  of  truth  doth  shine. 
Then  halt  not— question  not— 
Be  Btill  and  assert  the  I." 


(218) 


VII. 


The  Practice  of  Psycho-Therapy 

(continued)  , 


tan 


"  At  least  ninety-eight  per  cent,  of  our  mental  life  is  sub- 
conscious. If  you  will  analyze  your  mental  operations  you 
will  find  that  consciousness — conscious  thinking — is  never 
a  continuous  line  of  consciousness,  but  a  series  of  conscious 
data  with  great  intervals  of  subconscious.  We  sit  and  try 
to  solve  a  problem  and  fail.  We  rise  and  walk  around,  try 
again  and  fail.  Suddenly  an  idea  dawns  that  leads  to  the 
solution  of  the  problem.  The  subconscious  processes 
were  at  work.  We  do  not  volitionally  create  our  own 
thinking.  It  takes  place  in  us.  We  are  more  or  less  pass- 
ive recipients.  We  cannot  change  the  nature  of  a  thought 
or  of  a  truth,  but  we  can,  as  it  were,  guide  the  ship  by  the 
moving  of  the  helm.  Our  menfatinn  is  largely  the  result  of 
the  Cosmic  TT/jote  upon  us.  Annihilate  the  Cosmos  and 
our  thinking  would  instantly  cease." 

—Prof.  Elmer  Gates  in  "  Mind  Building." 

"  Finally,  if  beneath  a  fanaticism  and  the  extravagance  of 
men  blindly  seeking  relief  from  pain,  some  glimmering 
truth  makes  way,  that  truth  also  it  must  be  for  science  to 
adopt  and  to  utilize,  to  clarify  and  to  interpret.  By  one 
method  or  other — and  her  familiar  method  of  wide- 
spread cautious  experiment  should  surely  be  the  best- 
science  must  subject  to  her  own  deliberate  purposes  that 
intelligent  vital  control,  that  reserve  of  energy  which  lies 
beneath  the  conscious  threshold  and  works  obscurely  for 
the  evolution  of  man."— F.  W,  H.  Myers, 


(218) 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE  PRACTICE  OF  PSYCHO-THERAPY— Continobd. 
SUGGESTION  IN  SURGERY. 

Suggestion  finds  in  surgery  a  rich  and  produc- 
tive field,  but  one  wherein  its  value  has  thus  far 
remained  almost  wholly  unrecognized,  its  power 
but  partially  utilized. 

Surgery  has  wrought  marvelously  during  the 
last  generation.  Its  praises  are  sung  on  every 
side.  "Great  is  Modern  Surgery,  "  we  may  well 
cry.     It  has  done  much. 

It  is  customary  to  ascribe  the  tremendous 
advances  in  this  department  very  largely  to  im- 
proved technique,  and  rightly  so,  I  verily  beheve. 
But  they  have  not  come  alone  from  innovations 
along  the  line  of  cleanliness.  The  process  has 
been  complex  and,  in  a  measure,  inexplicable. 
I  know  a  surgeon  who  gives  little  heed  to  the 
modern  methods  of  sterilization,  who  in  his  pre- 
cautions is  but  slightly  in  advance  of  the  opera- 
tor of  three  decades  ago,  but  whose  results,  while 
not  so  free  from  suppuration,  discomforts  and 
deaths  as  those  of  the  more  scrupulous  surgeon, 
are  far  better  than  those  following  in  the  wake  of 
old-time  surgery. 

Suggfestion    a    Factor 
in  Surgical  Advances. 

Now,    why    is    this    so  ?      It 
does   not    prove   that    modern   precautions   are 

(210) 


220  THE  PRACTICE  OF  PSYCHO-THERAPY. 

inessential;  but,  in  my  opinion,  it  does  prove 
that  other  and  hitherto  unrecognized  causes  are 
playing  important  parts.  Public  confidence  in 
surgical  procedures  is  at  its  height.  The  faith 
of  the  surgeon  in  himself  has  become  estabhshed. 
The  atmosphere  of  the  operating  room,  and, 
indeed,  of  the  whole  hospital,  has  been  reheved 
of  much  of  its  fear-thought.  Expectancy  with  a 
smile,  instead  of  a  tear,  stands  on  tiptoe. 

This,  my  fellows,  is  one  of  the  hitherto  un- 
recognized causes  of  our  present  success  to  which 
I  allude  and  the  chief  one  that  will  now  be 
pointed  out.  By  recognizing  the  psychic  factor 
as  a  distinct  and  valuable  element  of  success  and 
utilizing  it  to  its  full  value,  surgery  may  be 
carried  to  a  still  higher  plane  of  utility. 

In  an  earlier  part  of  this  work  I  have  made 
allusion  to  certain  reprehensible  excesses  and 
defects  to  be  found  in  surgical  practice.  These, 
when  overcome,  will  enable  it  to  find  the  place 
in  disease  cure  wherein  it  rightly  belongs  and 
which  it  will  be  sure  to  fill  with  unexampled  effi- 
ciency. 

Sugfgfestion  in  the 
Surgical   Examination. 

In  an  earlier  part  of  the  book 
I  took  occasion  to  point  out,  in  few  words,  the 
essentials  of  a  first  surgical  interview  as  seen 
from  a  suggestive  standpoint.  It  may  be  well  to 
refer  to  that  in  connection  with  what  here  follows. 

Su§:§:estion  During 
the  Operation. 

To  so  important  an  event  the 
patient  comes  with  mingled  feelings  of  fear  and 
confidence.     The  mind  of  a  thinking  being  can- 


SUGGESTION  IN  ANESTHESIA.  221 

not  well  be  wholly  cleared  of  fear  in  the  presence 
of  a  crisis  which  strongly  menaces  physical  ex- 
istence. Happy  is  the  patient  who  can  muster 
an  array  ot  cheerful  feelings  and  who  looks  for- 
ward to  the  outcome  with  a  good  degree  of 
assurance.  Happy,  also,  the  operator  who  refuses 
to  see  aught  but  a  cure  in  prospect  for  the 
patient  upon  whom  he  is  distinctly  called  to 
operate,  and  whose  demeanor  does  not  belie  his 
feehngs. 

Sug:gestion  in  Anesthesia. 

Do  not  be  startled  when  I 
say  that  anesthesia  is  akin  to  hypnosis;  and  do 
not  spurn  the  demand  that  we  demean  ourselves 
with  circumspection  in  the  presence  of  the  former 
as  well  as  the  latter,  through  fear  of  prejudicial 
suggestion. 

The  meaning  of  this  is  that  I  have  a  settled 
conviction  that  the  anesthetic  state,  while  not  one 
of  objective  consciousness,  is  nevertheless  one  of 
suggestib  ility. 

We  are  to  remember  two  things  in  this  connec- 
tion'. (1)  that  the  subconsciousness  is  ever  alert 
and  (2)  that  objective  consciousjiess  is  not  essential 
to  effective  suggestion.  I  state  this  as  a  theorem, 
and  shall  leave  the  proof  to  the  clinical  experi- 
ence of  my  readers. 

Sugfgestion  in  Giv- 
ing: tbe  Anesthetic. 

Before  beginning  the  anesthetic, 
the  anesthetizer,  or,  better  still,  the  operator, 
should  explain  to  the  patient  the  course  of  action 
that  terminates  in  complete  narcosis,  and  give 
every  assurance  of  entire  safety  under  the  careful 


222  THE  PRACTICE  OF  PSYCHO-THERAPY. 

administration  of  the  anesthetic  about  to  be 
undertaken.  Explain  the  advisability  of  yield- 
ing quietly  to  the  sensations,  as  they  develop, 
with  the  knowledge  that  the  feelings,  while  they 
may  be  unpleasant  in  certain  particulars,  are 
harmless. 

Right  here  let  me  stop  to  say  that  these  instruc- 
tions are  practical,  as  well  as  theoretical,  they 
having  beeyi  followed  by  me  for  years,  and  always 
luith  decided  benefit. 

Begin  the  anesthetic  slowly;  watch  its  effects 
and  speak  soothing  words  as  you  proceed. 

Treat  the  patient  from  the  start  much  as  you 
would  if  hypnotizing  him.  Declare  that  drowsi- 
ness is  stealing  over  him,  and  that  he  will  soon 
be  fast  asleep.     Say: 

"Sleepy,  sleepy,  sleepy,  slee-py,  slee-py, " 
drawling  and  intonating  the  words  with  a  cadence 
that  indicates  drowsiness. 

"Almost  asleep;  almost  asleep." 

And  then,  when  you  think  deep  sleep  approach- 
ing, say,  in  sharp  tones: 

"Fast  asleep;  fast  asleep,"  at  the  same  time 
slapping  the  patient  lightly  to  see  if  the  sugges- 
tion take  effect. 

When  evidently  fast  asleep,  say  in  loud  tones: 

'  *  You  are  now  fast  asleep.  We  shall  do  only 
what  is  best  for  yoa,  and  when  you  awake  it  will 
be  to  begin  a  pe.  manent  recovery.  New  life  will 
take  possession  of  you.  You  are  to  be  a 
well  man/" 

' '  You  will  suffer  no  pain  during  the  operation, 
and  very  httle  afterwards. " 

* '  There  will  be  no  nausea  and  vomiting  when 
you  awaken." 

By  using  suggestion  you  will  save  a  good  deal 


SUGGESTION    IN   ANESTHESIA.  223 

of  time.  Besides,  the  patient  falls  into  anesthe- 
sia much  more  readily  and  peacefully. 

It  will  not  be  necessary  to  await  full  narcosis 
before  laying  the  patient  on  the  table  and  doing 
the  preliminary  work.     Say  to  him: 

' '  Listen,  now.  We  are  merely  going  to  get  you 
ready.  You  will  not  be  hurt.  Indeed,  you  are 
already  past  the  point  of  feeling.  See  ?  That 
does  not  hurt  you  (pinching  lightly).  Now,  let 
us  do  just  as  we  want  to.     We  are  your  friends. " 

Talk  thus,  and  work  at  the  same  time.  You 
will  usually  find  the  patient  perfectly  tractable. 

Should  he  say  that  he  knows  what  you  are 
doing,  tell  him  you  very  well  know  that,  but  that 
you  are  only  preparing  him  so  as  to  save  time. 
This  will  satisfy. 

Sug-gfestibility  of   the 
Patient  in  Anesthesia. 

It  is  commonly  supposed  that 
one  who  is  objectively  unconscious  is  wholly 
oblivious  to  environment.  He  certainly  appears 
to  be.  You  can  pinch,  slap  and  prick  him  with- 
out awakening  much  reflex  action.  You  can  cry 
in  his  ears  and  he  will  neither  answer  nor  give 
particular  sign  of  hearing.  On  waking  he  has 
no  recollection  of  events.  From  these  facts  sur- 
geons have  inferred  that  an  anesthetized  patient 
is  for  the  time  beyond  the  reach  of  mental  im- 
pression. 

I  ask  you  to  recall  that  hypnosis  furnishes  a 
condition  in  some  respects  analogous.  The 
patient  is  made  unconscious  and  anesthetic  by 
oral  suggestion  instead  of  toxic  influence.  In 
neither  case  is  there  conscious  memory  of  occur- 
rences and  experiences ;  and  yet  in  hypnosis  we 


224  THE  PRACTICE  OF  PSYCHO-THERAPY. 

have  time  and  again  demonstrated  a  perfect  sub- 
jective memory. 

The  reader  need  not  be  surprised  when  I  say 
that  I  have  often  seen  just  as  clear  evidence  of 
subconscious  memory  of  events  taking  place  in  the 
anesthetic  state.  Moreover,  this  subconscious 
memory  is  the  secret  of  much  of  the  good  effect 
following  surgical  procedure.  A  profound  sub- 
jective impression  is  made  which  ultimates  in 
vast  good  to  the  patient. 

It  is  upon  these  considerations  that  I  base  my 
advice  to  the  surgeon  to  be  as  circumspect  in  his 
utterances  and  actions  during  the  operation  as 
he  is  with  the  patient  in  an  objectively  conscious 
state.  This  is  an  hnportant  suggestio7t,  and  I 
advise  you  not  to  spurn  it. 

In  the  course  of  an  operation  compHcations  are 
apt  to  arise  seriously  menacing  the  patient's  life. 
At  such  a  time  the  effect  is  far  better  if  we  insist 
upon  perfect  composure  in  all  and  allow  no  word 
of  discouragement  to  escape  the  lips.  Evident 
fright  in  operator  and  assistants  may  turn  the 
scale  against  the  patient's  life,    this  is  no  jest,  and 

HE  WHO  IGNORES  THE  ADVICE  DOES  SO  AT  HIS  PA- 
TIENT'S PERIL. 

When  an  operation  is  undertaken  by  a  consci- 
entious surgeon  it  is  expected  to  bring  beneficial 
results,  and  he  is  bound  to  use  every  endeavor  to 
elevate  it  to  the  ideal  standard.  Confidence 
should,  therefore,  be  the  predominant  spirit  among 
those  who  take  part  in  it.  Long  faces  and 
doubtful  expressions  are  to  be  debarred.  It 
should  be  a  determined  march  straight  to  suc- 
cess; and  the  spirit  of  triumph  ought  to  charac- 
terize it. 


DURING   WAKING.  225 


Sugfgfestion  During:  Wak- 
ing from  the  Anesthesia. 

As  soon  as  the  patient  has 
been  returned  to  his  bed  it  is  well  to  renew  sug- 
gestive dosing.  He  cannot  swallow  drugs,  but 
he  can  swallow  assurances  and  affirmations.  Let 
consciousness  dawn  upon  his  mind  in  a  flood  of 
bright  expectancy  rather  than  of  gloomy  fore- 
bodings. 

None  but  an  optimistic  and  cheerful  nurse 
should  be  allowed  with  the  patient.  I  have  some- 
times thought  that  selected  nurses  ought  to  be 
detailed  for  this  particular  service.  Let  the  suf- 
ferer's eyes,  when  they  first  open,  fall  upon  a 
face  filled  with  radiant  hope  and  strong  good 
nature. 

We  give  altogether  too  Httle  attention,  in  our 
training  of  nurses,  to  inculcating  the  importance 
of  these  psychic  considerations.  They  mean 
much  to  one  who  has  taken  upon  herself  the  care 
of  the  sick  and  suffering,  and  far  more  to  her 
patients.  There  is  abroad  too  much  pessimistic 
thought  and  feeling.  It  is  too  commonly  con- 
ceded that 


The  world  has  so  much  of  sorrow — 
So  much  that  is  hard  and  bad. 

This  is  the  superficial  view.  Look  deeper  and 
you  will  find  that  a  large  part  of  the  appearance 
is  due  to  illusion.  T  often  repeat  to  myself  a  lit- 
tle verse  learned  in  childhood : 

This  world  is  not  so  bad  a  world 
As  some  would  like  to  make  it, 

And  whether  good,  or  whether  bad, 
Depends  on  how  we  take  it. 


226  THE  PRACTICE  OF  PSYCHO-THERAPY. 

Suggestion  in  After  Management. 

There  is  small  occa- 
sion for  me  to  say  much  under  this  head.  The 
principles  of  management  have  been  already 
clearly  indicated.  The  whole  atmosphere  must 
be  impregnated  with  confidence  and  good  cheer. 
There  should  not  be  frivolity,  but  there  should 
be  good  humor  and  plenty  of  it. 

The  stage  of  recovery  from  an  operation  is 
peculiarly  suited  to  the  implantation  of  whole- 
some concepts  and  helpful  ideas.  The  reader 
will  recall  what  has  elsewhere  been  said  concern- 
ing the  need  among  all  who  are  ill  of  abetter  con- 
ception of  the  important  relations  between  mind 
and  body.  You  can  make  it  a  period  of  school- 
ing that  shall  prove  of  inestimable  value.  The 
surgeon  has  a  reputation  for  obduracy  which  he 
is  here  given  an  opportunity  greatly  to  modify 
by  becoming  to  his  convalescent  patients  a 
teacher  of  truths  of  far  more  practical  utility  and 
worth  than  those  attempted  to  be  inculcated  by 
the  average  religious  instructor. 


VIII. 


The  Practice  of  Psycho-Therapy 

(concluded) 


(227) 


"  There  are  innamerable  perceptions  of  which  we  do  not 
become  conscious,  on  which  all  actions  performed  without 
deliberation,  as  well  as  habits  and  passions,  depend." 

—Leibnitz. 

'*  The  threshold  of  consciousness  may  be  compared  to  the 
surface  of  a  lake  and  subconsciousness  to  the  depths  be- 
neath it."— James  Ward. 

"  You  can  never  tell  what  your  thoughts  will  do 
In  bringing  you  hate  or  love  ; 
For  thoughts  are  things,  and  their  airy  winga 

Are  swift  as  a  carrier  dove. 
They  follow  the  law  of  the  universe — 

Each  thing  must  create  its  kind, 
And  they  speed  o'er  the  track  to  bring  you  back 
Whatever  went  out  from  your  mind." 

—W.  V.  Nicum. 

'•  The  subconscious  guides  me  by  suggestions  which  seem 
spontaneous,  but  which  really  arise  from  convictions  of  my 
subconsciousness  as  to  my  best  course.  An  analogous  action 
is  noted  in  the  subject  acting  under  the  force  of  a  long-dis- 
tance suggestion.  He  is  not  conscious  that  such  a  power  is 
moving  him  to  action.    It  seems  to  be  wholly  spontaneous." 

—Leavitt. 

"  Admiral  Farragut  wrote  his  wife  on  the  eve  of  battle :  '  As 
to  being  prepared  for  defeat,  I  certainly  am  not.  Any  man 
who  is  prepared  for  defeat  would  be  half-defeated  before 
he  commenced.' " 

"  There  is  a  continual  play  of  forces  on  our  mind,  only  a  few 
of  which  ever  reach  conscious  recognition." 


(228) 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  PRACTICE  OF  PSYCHO-THERAPY— Concluded. 
THE  QUESTION  OF  ABSENT  TREATMENT. 

There  is  no  feature  of  "Christian  Science" 
that  has  attracted  so  much  ridicule  as  that  of  so- 
called  "Absent  Treatment."  It  is  easy  enough 
to  understand  that  the  encouragement  afforded 
one  under  the  power  of  disease,  by  another  who 
may  pose  as  a  healer,  is  capable  of  doing  much 
good  so  long  as  the  one  is  near  the  other;  but  to 
expect  mere  thought  to  travel  great  distances  to 
effect  its  purpose  is  quite  another  thing.  Can 
curative  concepts  be  established  in  the  mind  of 
one  whom  we  have  seen,  but  who  is  now  at  a 
distance,  by  the  action  of  our  volition  ? 

Should  the  response  to  this  question  be  in  the 
affirmative,  let  us  then  ask: 

' '  Can  curative  thought  find  lodgment  in  the 
mind  of  one  whom  we  have  never  seen,  but  who 
seeks  absent  aid?" 

Those  who  do  not  believe  that  suggestion  has 
curative  power  under  proximate  relations  will, 
of  course,  at  once  deny  that  it  has  power  at  a 
distance. 

But  what  about  those  who  do  accept  the  value 
of  suggestive  treatment?  Will  they  deny  the 
possibility  of  curative  action  at  a  distance  ? 

Doubtless  many  will,  and  it  is  chiefly  to  such 
that  I  address  my  observations.  Those  not 
already  convinced  of  the  value  of  psycho-therapy 

(229) 


230  THE  PRACTICE  OF  PSYCHO-THERAPY. 

would  better  pass  this  chapter,  for  to  them  it 
might  seem  grossly  chimerical. 

The  Question  Is  An- 
swered by  Telepathy. 

I  have  attempted  to  show  by 
conclusive  evidence,  in  an  earlier  chapter,  that 
telepathy  is  an  established  fact.  The  thoughts 
and  feelings  of  one  mind  can  be  communicated 
to  another  mind  without  the  aid  of  physical 
sense.  Just  how  the  thought  travels  from  one 
mind  to  the  other  is  not  known.  We  do  not  yet 
know  even  what  thought  is.  But  that  in  some 
way  it  leaps  the  barrier  of  space  and  penetrates 
to  the  depths  of  the  subconsciousness  there  ap- 
pears now  to  be  no  doubt. 

//  ca7inot  yet  be  made  to  do  so  by.  all,  at  will;  for 
the  details  of  the  laws  of  transmission  are  not 
known. 

We  encounter  many  people  who  explain  the 
alleged  phenomena  of  spiritism  by  saying  that  it 
is  mere  mind  reading.  They  are  very  willing  to 
admit  that  another — a  clairvoyant  or  psycho- 
metrist — can  search  our  minds  to  the  very  depths 
and  bring  to  light  many  things  that  had  passed 
out  of  objective  memory,  while  they  stoutly  deny 
the  possibility  of  thought-transferrence  between 
others.     Consistency,  thou  art  a  jewel! 

Is  it  not  clear  that  those  who  admit  the  value 
of  suggestive  treatment  in  general,  and  the  possi- 
bility of  thought-transferrence  under  any  condi- 
tions, are  in  no  position  to  deny  the  possibility  of 
effective  absent  treatment  ?  I  can  see  no  alter- 
native. 

The  truth  is  that  no  consistent  person  of  thought 
and  observation  can  today  deny  the  possibility  of 


THE   THEORY    DEMONSTRABLE.  231 

the  communication  of  C7irative  thought  from  one 
to  another  without  regard  to  distance. 

My  own  position  is  anomalous.  A  few  years 
ago  I  did  not  hesitate  to  denounce  as  irrational 
what  now  I  am  forced  to  admit  as  possible. 
Moreover,  my  own  observations  have  led  me  to 
accept  as  a  truth  the  once-decried  absent  treat- 
ment. Be  assured  that  the  change  has  not  been 
wrought  in  a  day,  and  not  at  all  without  clear 
demonstration  of  the  truth  of  that  for  which  I 
now  stand. 

Admit  the  possibility  of  telepathy  and  you  can- 
not rationally  deny  the  possibility  of  absent  sug- 
gestion.     If  one  is  possible  the  other  is  possible. 

Telepathy  and  Abseiit-Su§:g:es- 
tion  Stand  or  Fall  Together. 

I  do  not  hesitate  to  say 
that  there  is  no  longer  a  shadow  of  doubt  con- 
cerning the  possibility  of  thought  transferrence. 
The  dynamics  of  thought  now  becomes  a  sub- 
ject for  study.  Thought  becomes  recognized  as 
energy  in  motion. 

The  Theory  Demonstrable. 

The  phenomena  of  thought 
transferrence  must  not  be  limited  to  objective  im- 
pressions, though  even  these  are  clearly  demon- 
strable. The  thought  transferred  passes  to  the 
subconsciousness  and  then  rises  more  or  less 
clearly  to  the  threshold  of  consciousness. 

I  have  discussed  these  theories  at  sufficient 
length  in  an  earlier  chapter  on  Telepathy  and 
shall  not  review  them  here.  My  present  pur- 
pose is  only  to  remind  the  reader  that  telepathy 


232  THE  PRACTICE  OF  PSYCHO-THERAPY. 

rests  upon  a  demonstrable  basis.     There  are  the 
best  of  scientific  reasons  for  beheving  in  it. 

What  Are  the  Conditions 
of  Thought  Transferrence? 

It  is  doubtless  just  as  essen- 
tial for  us  to  conform  to  thought  conditions 
would  we  successfully  impress  the  mind  of  an- 
other at  a  distance  as  it  is  for  the  telegrapher  to 
conform  to  electrical  conditions  who  proposes  to 
send  a  wireless  message.  In  both  instances  there 
is  a  medium  of  communication.  It  may  be  the 
same  medium.  It  is  supposed  to  be  the  univer- 
sal ether.  But  just  what  it  is  no  one  knows.  It 
may  be  an  electrical  atmosphere  vibrating  with 
life,  upon  the  waves  of  which  are  wafted  the  pul- 
sations of  thought  and  feeling,  the  creations  of 
ideation,  as  well  as  the  coarser  vibrations  made 
by  the  sending  instrument  of  wireless  telegraphy. 

What  is  already  known  concerning  thought 
transferrence  was  learned  by  experimentation, 
and  learned,  be  it  said  to  our  shame,  in  the  face 
of  ridicule. 

AH,  MY  BRETHREN,  HAS  NOT  THE 
TIME  COME,  IN  THIS  DAY  OF  WON- 
DERS, WHEN  WE  SHOULD  ALL  CEASE 
TO  CAST  SLUR  AND  CONTEMPT 
UPON  THE  SERIOUS  CONVICTIONS  OF 
OTHERS— THE  ALLEGED  TRUTHS  DE- 
RIVED FROM  PROTRACTED  STUDY 
AND  EXPERIMENTATION  —  NO  MAT- 
TER HOW  FANTASTICAL  THEY  MAY 
AT  FIRST  APPEAR  TO  BE? 

It  is  evident  that  there  are  certain  persons  who, 
by  organization,  are  peculiarly  susceptible  to 
mental  impressions.     They  are  veritable  sensa- 


NEED   NOT  REACH   CONSCIOUSNESS.  233 


tives,    receiving   and   translating   v/ith    peculiar 
facility. 

It  is  said  that,  by  putting  his  ear  to  the  grou7id, 
an  Indian  can  catch  the  sound  of  distant  feet. 
Just  so  these  psyc hornet rists  appear  to  be  able  to 
tu7'n  a  mental  ear  to  the  great  void  and  hear  the 
sound  of  distant  thought. 

I  am  acquainted  with  a  few  persons  peculiarly 
apt  in  thought  reading.  They  claim  that  the 
faculty  is  more  or  less  common  to  all  and  can  be 
greatly  cultivated.  In  order  to  become  proficient 
we  are  told  that  it  is  necessary  only  to  connect 
up  the  lines  between  the  conscious  and  sub- 
conscious faculties. 

The  subcofiscious  mind  is  a  universal  receiver, 
and,  in  order  to  take  thought  in  an  objective 
sense,  we  have  but  to  opeit  communication  between 
the  two  minds — to  ' '  search  the  mind  of  the  spirit. " 

A  Sugfgestion  to  Be  Effective  Need 
Not  Reach  the  Conscious  Mind. 

In  order  that  a  sug- 
gestion become  effective  it  need  not  reach  the 
conscious  mind,  though  probably  it  is  given  more 
power  by  reaching  it. 

The  subconscious  doubtless  receives,  treasures 
a7id  acts  upon  impressions  that  never  rise  into 
consciousness.  Moreover,  many  of  the  thoughts 
and  feelings  that  appear  to  spring  up  spontan- 
eously within  us  very  likely  have  an  extrinsic 
origin.  They  are  projections  from  other  minds, 
coming  directly  to  us,  or  represent  the  concrete 
thought  of  many. 

There  is  no  doubt  in  the  minds  of  those  who 
have  gone  deeply  into  psychology  that  we  are  im- 
mersed in  a  ptilsating  sea  of  thotight. 


234  THE  PRACTICE  OF  PSYCHO-THERAPY. 

What  I  have  been  leading  up  to  is  the  essen- 
tial conditions  of  thought-transferrence  between 
two  minds.  In  wireless  telegraphy  the  sender 
and  the  receiver  are  required  to  be  so  attuned 
that  their  vibrations  shall  harmonize.  A  similar 
harmony  has  to  exist  between  minds  in  order  to 
put  them  into  communication.  It  is  a  species 
of  selective  affinity  such  as  is  manifested  by  the 
various  physical  structures,  each  taking  on 
according  to  its  adaptation,  and  passing  onward 
those  substances  that  do  not  fall  under  the  power 
of  its  attraction. 

Hudson,  in  his  "Law  of  Psychic  Phenomena," 
annunciated  a  method  of  cure  through  absent 
treatment,  the  details  of  which  I  do  not  need 
here  to  recount.  In  his  first  edition  he  reported 
a  large  number  of  cures  by  means  of  it,  without 
a  single  failure. 

Eight  years  subsequently  I  wrote  the  author 
asking  if  his  later  experience  had  confirmed  his 
faith  in  the  efficiency  of  the  method.  I  quote 
from  his  reply: 

"  In  reply  I  have  to  say  that  ample  experiment  both 
before  and  since  « The  Law  of  Psychic  Phenomena '  was 
written  demonstrates  the  correctness  of  the  general 
principles  involved.  I  find,  however,  that  success  de- 
pends largely  upon  the  healer's  ability  to  come  into 
telepathic  rapport  with  the  patient.  This  is  not  always 
possible  between  two  strangers.  Nor  is  it  yet  known 
by  anybody  jvTst  what  is  necessary  to  secure  that  con, 
dition.  Sometimes  it  is  perfectly  easy  to  do  so,  at 
other  times  very  difficult;  and  the  reasons  for  success 
or  failure  are  not  yet  definitely  known.  That  is  the 
only  thing  that  militates  against  the  system,  and  that 
must  be  overcome  in  the  future  by  experiment  and  close 
observation.  I  have  still  undoubted  faith  in  the  system 
where  proper  conditions  can  be  commanded.'  " 

On  the  part  of  the  sender  there  appears  to  be 


CONCLUSION.  235 


a  consensus  of  opinion  that  quiet  mental  concen- 
tration, with  an  earnest  desire  to  heal,  are  the 
elements  of  success.  They  are  substantially  those 
conditions  prescribed  for  effective  auto-suggestion. 

For  the  reason  that  the  percipient  is  more 
Hkely  to  be  in  a  receptive  state  at  the  quiet  hour 
of  night,  that  time  is  to  be  preferred. 

The  more  vivid  and  intense  the  thought,  the 
more  potent. 

The  effect  is  heightened  by  an  oral  repetition, 
again  and  again,  of  the  suggestion  sought  to  be 
impressed. 

On  the  part  of  the  receiver,  a  state  of  silent 
expectancy  is  all  that  is  required.  A  will  to  take 
and  to  utilize  puts  one  into  the  receptive  attitude. 

coircLusioir. 

Says  Dr.  Mclvor  Tyndall: 

«*  As  we  learn  more  of  electricity  we  discover  the  start- 
ling fact  that  in  its  variations  and  grades  it  is  the  basic 
principle  of  nearly  everything.  The  character  of  the 
electricity  or  thought-force  a  person  sends  out  is  depend- 
ent upon  both  the  physical  and  mental  construction. 

*'  The  reason  we  have  not  learned  more  of  what  thought 
is  is  due  to  the  fact  that  psychologists  have  hitherto 
assumed  that  the  physical  senses  were  the  foundation  of 
thought.  This,  I  hold,  is  wrong.  Thought  exists  as 
radio-energy  and  each  person  reflects  only  the  quality 
and  quantity  of  thought  he  -is  capable  of  expressing. 
The  senses  are  our  transmitters. 

•*  In  other  words,  if  your  ears  fail  to  catch  the  pianis- 
simo tones  in  a  musical  composition  the  music  is  never- 
theless there.  Your  transmitter  is  lacking  in  acuteness. 
If  your  eyes  fail  to  perceive  the  ultra-violet  shades  in 
chromatics,  it  does  not  follow  that  the  delicate  tints  are 
lacking.  It  simply  proves  that  you  are  not  so  consti- 
tuted as  to  perceive  these  shades.  So,  like  the  trained 
musician,  whose  sense  of  harmony  is  so  keen  that  he 


236  THE  PRACTICE  OF  PSVCHO-THERAPY. 


can  detect  the  slightest  discord  or  the  faintest  melody, 
the  person  who  tries  can  feel  the  thought-vibrations  of 
those  about  him,  classifying  with  unerring  accuracy  the 
thought-aura  of  every  one  he  meets.  I  have  frequently 
— in  years  past — been  obliged  to  leave  a  room  where 
some  intense  discussion  had  recently  taken  place  because 
the  waves  of  discordant  thought  would  strike  my  brain 
with  the  force  of  a  material  blow.  I  have  since  learned 
the  art  of  mental  self-defense  and  thereby  saved  myself 
from  the  *  early  grave '  to  which  the  physicians  unitedly 
assigned  me. 

"Thoughts  are  material,  tangible  things — emanations 
from  the  brain — which  is  material.  They  are  expres- 
sions of  the  soul,  which  is  both  material  and  spiritual. 
Mind  and  soul  are  not  spirit.  This  is  the  stumbling 
block  in  the  way  of  all  students  of  psychology.  They 
confound  spirit  with  mind.  There  is  the  transferrence 
of  thought  from  mind  to  mind — which  is  telepathy — and 
there  is  the  exchange  of  knowledge  and  sympathy  be- 
tween souls — :which  may  be  called  inspiration.  When  it 
comes  to  spirit,  we  are  one  and  indivisible." 

Says  M.  Woodbury  Sawyer: 
"We  are  living  in  a  world  of  eternal  law  and  order — a 
world  of  limitless  power.  If  ignorantly,  or  willfully,  we 
misuse  this  power  we  experience  the  lack  of  good,  or 
perverted  good,  which  is  evil;  we  experience  conflict 
and  sorrow  and  we  ally  ourselves  with  all  conflicting 
conditions.  There  is  about  us  beauty,  happiness,  love, 
abundance ;  limitless  good  for  us  to  use — and  for  us  to 
use  today — everything  to  make  life  a  growth  of  ever  un- 
folding joy,  if  we  intelligently  direct  our  energy.  Every 
new  view  we  obtain  through  experience,  or  inspiration, 
points  to  heights  not  yet  attained,  nor  even  conceived, 
but  which  the  soul  knows  awaits  the  earnest,  believing 
climber." 


[THE  END.] 


Ind 


ex 


Absent  Treatment  and  Telepathy 108 

Telepathy  Answers  Question  of 230 

Theory  of,  Demonstrable . ,   231 

Question  of 229 

Adjustment  Secret  of  Life 58 

Advances,  Medical 34 

AflBrmation  in  Auto-Suggestion 91 

Power  of 143 

Anesthesia,  Suggestion  in 221 

Suggestibility  During 223 

Suggestion  During  Waking  from 225 

Anesthetic,  Suggestion  in  Giving 221 

Attention  Determines  Action 175,  208 

Attitude,  Rational,  Toward  Psychic  Therapeutics I'^iO 

Auto-Sugg estion.  Theory  of 91 

Practice  of 151 

Awakening  from  Hypnosis 188 

Bedside  Expedients .  214 

Beliefs,  Old,  May  Be  Questioned 56 

Body,  Effect  of  Mind  on 174,  206 

Mind  and.  Interaction  Between 134,  206 

Brain,  Cardinal  Features  of 72 

Cortex,  Functions  of C7 

Is  Sum  of  Cortical  Points 73 

Cells,  Intelligence  of 71 

Nerve 70 

Cerebellum 73 

Charlatanry,  Success  of 124 

Claims,  Irrational,  of  Some  133 

Communication  Between  Nerve  Cells 70 

Nervous 70 

Concentration,  Power  of  Mental 206 

Concessions,  Certain   130 

Conclusion 235 

Conduct  May  Give  Suggestion 146 

Must  Sustain  Affirmation 145 

(229) 


240  INDEX. 


Confidence,  Drugs  Do  Not  Command 22 

Conscious  Mind  a  Balance  Wheel 90 

Consciousness,  Suggestion  Need  Not  Reach 219,  221,  233 

Conservatism 125 

Control,  Scope  of  Hypnotic 185 

Corpora  Quadrigemina 73 

Corpus  Callosura 70 

Striatum 70 

Crura  of  Brain 70 

Cure  Is  by  Inherent  Power 184 

Media  of 176 

Cytod 67 

Darkness  Favorable  to  Suggestion 207 

Deception,  Justifiable,  in  Some  Cases 132 

Defeat,  Don't  Prepare  for 228 

Demeanor  of  Physician 198 

Desire  Assures  Possession 196 

Diagnosis,  but  Not  Cure 38 

Positive 199 

Discipline,  Self 170 

Disease,  Chronic,  More  Prevalent 35 

Diagnosis  of  but  Not  Cure 38 

Functional  and  Organic,  Question  Concerning  Cure  of. .    130 

Modified  by  Medical  Treatment 23 

Origin  of,  in  Mind 27 

Prevention  of 34 

Psychic  Cure  of.  Conditions  of 80 

Psychic  Cure  of,  by  Homeopathy 51 

Psychic  Causes  of ''. . .  .27,  36,  53,  61,  130,  206 

Psychic  Effect  Cures 42 

Rational  Methods  of  Cure  of 129 

Doctors,  Over-Busy ,    49 

Under- Paid 50 

Doubt  a  Bar  to  Cure 113 

Drug  Action  Mysterious 128 

Drugs  Do  Possess  Curative  Value 23 

Like  Other  Means,  Only  Arouse  Inherent  Powers 156 

More  Power  in  Those  Dispensed  by  Prescriber ....  203 

Ought  to  Be  Used ; 177 

Theory  of  Action  of 24 

Education,  Conscious  and  Unconscious 193 

Salient  Features  of 190 


INDEX.  241 


Education  Through  Suggestion 190 

Ego  "  Holds  Consciousness  Together  " 82 

Egotism  Despicable 171 

Electricity  Basic  Principle  of  Nearly  Everything. 235 

Suggestion  with 211 

Emotion,  Regulation,  Not  Suppression  of 191 

Eraoiions,  Effect  of 192 

Enthusiasm  in  Drug  Treatment  Sign  of  Inexperience 22 

Error  Should  Be  Throttled 30 

Erskine's  Experience 59 

Essentials  in  Patient 175 

in  Suggester 16G 

Evolution,  Medical 57 

Examination,  Medical 198 

Expect  the  Best 206 

Eyes,  Closed,  Favorable  to  Suggestion 210 

Faith  a  Panacea 113 

Essential  to  Cure 113 

In  What? 115 

Is  Best  That  Has  Rational  Basis 115 

Value  of 167 

Fear,  Perniciousness  of 191 

Fissure  of  Rolando 74 

Fractional  Teaching  and  Practice 12S 

Ganglia  of  Sympathetic  System 75 

Graphophone  for  Suggestion 209 

Gynecology  Means  Gynecological  Surgery 41 

Hahnemann,  Service  of 51 

Was  Denounced 1 27 

Health  Determined  by  Mental  Action 172,  206 

Homeopathy,  Psychic  Effect  of  Treatment  by 52 

Remedies  Do  Cure 52 

Service  of 51 

Why  Not  Now  So  Effective 52 

Hypnotit  Changes  Physiological 82 

Control,  Scope  of 185 

Experiment  Proving  Telepathy 105 

Post,   Suggestion 193 

Suggestion .    186 

Hypnosis 177 

Awakening  from 188 

Methods  of  Inducing 178 


242  INDEX. 


Hypnosis  Not  Essential  to  Effective  Suggestion 87 

Phenomena  of 181 

Position  for 183 

Hypnotism;   Does  It  Injure  ? 186 

and  Hypnosis  84 

Phenomena  of 181 

Phenomena  of,  Not  Morbid 174 

Was  Called  a  Humbug 127 

Hysterical  Storms,  Suggestion  During 180 

Ideas,  New,  Need  Not  Be  Feared 110 

Incentives  to  Study  New  Methods 58 

Individuality  of  Organs 68 

Influences,  Conscious  and  Unconscious ....  106 

Influence,  Personal 158 

Intelligence,  Central,  Various  Designations  of    68 

Inverted  Plane,  Suggestion  with 212 

Life,  Mental,  Teleological 72 

What  It  Is 58 

Luck,  What  Is 32 

Magnetism,  Personal 168 

Manipulation,  Suggestion  by 210 

Massage,  Difference  in  Operators 119 

Matter  and  Mind  26 

Nervous 75 

Revulsion  from  Old  Theories  Concerning 52 

Media  of  Cure 174 

Medical  Demands 33 

Medicine,  Advanced  State  of 21 

State  of.  Causes  of 21 

Present  Status  of 21 

Medulla  Oblongata 73 

Mental  Causes  of  Disease 27,  36,  53,  61,  130,  206 

Concentration,  Power  of 206 

Influenced  by  Physical 99,  143,  145 

Life:  Most  of  It  Subconscious 218 

Mento-Therapy,  Does  It  Cure?, 135 

Not  Suited  to  All 131 

Psychic  Research  Society  Concerning 130 

Practice  of 137 

Principles  of  Application  of 140 

Mesmerism 87 

Clinical  Difference  Between  Hypnotism  and 88 


INDEX.  243 


Methods,  New 57 

All  Essentially  the  Same    136 

New,  Principles  of . . 60 

New,  Incentives  to  Study 59 

Too  Perfunctory 49 

Rational,  of  Cure 129 

Unusual,  Impressive 207 

Valuable,  Sometimes  Rejected. 24 

Mind  a  Magnet 162 

Mind  and  Body,  Interaction  Between 134,  218 

Building 90 

Division  of  Work  of 70 

Duality  of 65 

Education  of  Subjective 76,  77 

Effect  of.  on  Body 27,  90,  168 

Human,  Inlet  of  Universal 66 

Influenced  by  Body 142,  145 

Influence  of  Master 93 

Matter  and 26 

Origin  of.  Disease  in  27 

Relations  of  Cerebral  Structures  to 66 

Subjective,  Amenable  to  Objective 77 

Suggestion  Need  Not  Reach  Conscious 108 

Various  Designations  of 68 

Motif,  of  Nerve  Cells 67 

Motor  Zone 74 

Nervous  System  a  Harp  with  a  Thousand  Strings 104 

System,  Cardinal  Features  of 74 

Structure,  Anatomy  and  Physiology  of 67.  69 

Objective  Can  Control  Subjective 35 

Organs,  Individuality  of 68 

Originality  in  Work 48 

Operation.  Suggestion  During 220 

Optic  Thalami 73 

Pain  Can  Be  Inhibited 141 

and  Pleasure,  Generation  of 82 

Passion,  Unexpressed,  Dies .  145 

Patient,  Essentials  in 175 

Perceptions,  Unconscious 200 

Personal  Magnetism 168 

Physician,  Demeanor  of 32,  198 

Himself 163 


244  INDEX. 


Physicians,  Over-Busy 49 

Under-Paid 50 

Plane,  Each,  Has  Its  Laws 134 

Planes,  Life  on  Three 134 

Pleasure  and  Pain.  Generation  of 82 

Practice  Makes  Perfect 165 

Place  for  Suggestion  in  Medical 197 

Prescription,  The 200 

Prevention  of  Disease 15 

Psychic  Era 56 

Research  Society 64 

Research  Society,  Conclusions  of,  Concerning  Telepathy  103 

Psychology,  Doctors  Have  Feared  to  Use 30 

We  Should  Study 29 

Psycho-Therapy  Belongs  to  Profession 123 

Does  it  Cure  ? 135 

Fear  of 125 

Not  Suited  to  All  131 

Psychic  Research  Society  Concerning 130 

Practice  of 137 

Principles  of  Application  of 137 

Question  of  Adoption  of 121 

Strange  That,  Has  Been  So  Neglected 112 

Plants,  Amenable  to  Suggestion 77 

Intelligence  of 77 

Subject,  Mind  in 77 

Pons  Varolii 73 

Position  for  Hypnosis 183 

Position  for  Suggestive  Treatment 184 

Post-Hypnotic  Suggestion 193 

Power,  Curative,  in  One's  Self 184 

Principles,  Essential 174 

Quackery,  Success  of 124 

Rational  Attitude  Toward  Psycho-Therapy 129 

Receptivity,  Objective,  Not  Necessary  to  Suggestion 84 

Reflex  Benefits  from  Healing 164 

Resolution,  Value  of 130 

Rolando,  Fissure  of 74 

Sails,  Set  of,  Determines  Course 92 

Science,  Physicians  Not  Often  Well  Informed  In 25 

True 25 

Self-Control,  Value  of 145,  150 


INDEX.  245 


Self-Discipline  Important 169 

Self-Hypnotism 151 

Self-Reliance  All-Important 150,  170 

Serfdom,  Physical 33 

Silence  a  Factor  in  Receptivity 114 

Sincerity,  Need  of 98 

Value  of 171 

Senility  and  New  Ideas 109 

Serum-Therapy 38 

Sleep,  Difference  Between  Hypnotic  and  Ordinary 179 

Solar  Plexus 75 

Specifies,   Drug 38 

Sphlanchnic  Nerve 74 

Spine,  Pressure  of  in  Suggestion 210 

Spiritism  and  Telepathy 107 

Step,  Add,  to  Sword's  Length 48 

Subconscious  Influence 228 

Influenced  by  Conduct 145 

Mental  Life  Mostly 218 

Reasons  Deductively 145 

Works  Cure 168 

Subjective  Amenity  to  Objective 77 

Can  Be  Controlled 35 

Influenced  by  Conduct 145 

Reasons  Deductively 145 

Works  Cure 174 

Success  Commanded 205 

Suggester,  Essentials  in 166 

Reflex  Benefits  to 164 

Suggestibility  During  Anesthesia 223 

In  Hysterical  Seizures 180 

In  Ordinary  Sleep 179 

Suggestion  a  Factor  in  Surgical  Advances ....  219 

Aim  of  Should  Be  Educative 190 

Auto- 151 

All  Are  Subject  to 179 

At  Bedside 202 

By  Graphophone 209 

By  Manipulation 210 

Conditions  of  Effective 113 

Duration  of 118 

During  Anesthesia 221 


246  INDEX. 


Saggestion  During  Hysterical  Storms 180 

During  Operation 220 

During  Waking  from  Anesthesia 225 

Energy  of 117 

Examples  of  Powerful 147 

Expedients  at  Bedside 202 

Favored  by  Closed  Eyes 208 

Favored  by  Darkness 207 

Histionic 119 

Hypnotic 117 

Hypnosis  Not  Essential  to 87 

In  After  Management 226 

In  Anesthesia 221 

Infinite  Sources  of 158 

In  Giving  Anesthetic 221 

In  Ordinary  Sleep 150 

In  Surgery 219 

In  Surgical  Examination 220 

Need  Not  Reach  Conscious  Mind 219,  221,  223 

Objective  Conception  Not  Essential  to 221 

Non-Routine 207 

Place  for,  in  Practice 197 

Post-Hypnotic 193 

Under  Anesthesia  , . .  , 221 

Uses  of,  in  Medical  Practice 198 

With  Electricity 211 

With  Inverted  Plane 212 

With  Prescription 200 

With  Vacuum  Treatment 211 

Surgeons,  Not  All  Who  Cut  Are  41 

Surgery,  Suggestion  a  Factor  in  Advances  in 219 

Suggestion  in 219 

Too  Little  Discrimination  in 46 

Too  Much 45 

Surgical  Examinations 42,  43 

Suggestion  in 219 

Idea 41 

Results  Often  Determined  by  Psychic  Causes 42,  44 

Sympathetic  Nervous  System 75 

Telepathy 103 

And  Absent  Treatment 108 

And  Spiritism 107 


INDEX. 


247 


Telepathy  Answers  Question  of  Absent  Treatment 230 

Conditions  of 232 

Hypnotic  Experiment  Proving 105 

Temperature,  Instance  of  High 28 

Therapy,  Serum ^° 

Things  Belonging  to  Us  Come  to  Us 122 

Thought,  Advanced,  Wins  Way  Slowly 29 

Assumes  Form 1"6 

Conscious  Side  of.  Is  Sincerity 99 

Do  Nothing  Without  Conscious 170 

Good  and  Bad  Effect  of 28 

Is  Material,  Tangible 235 

Powerof 171.206.  228 

Realm,  We  Should  Investigate 29 

Runs  in  Grooves l^l 

Thought-Transferrence 103 

Conditions  of 232 

Touch,  Magnetic ^° 

Truth  "Always  Has  a  Fringe  of  Peril" 127 

We  Need  Not  Fear 109 

Unconscious  Influence 2«8 

Influenced  by  Conduct 145 

Mental  Life  Mostly 145 

Reasons  Deductively 144 

Rumination 124 

Works  Cure 174 

Unity  of  All  Things   54 

Vacuum  Treatment,  Suggestion  with 211 

Vehicles  of  Suggestion ^^ 

Vibrations,  Different  Effects  of 106 

Range  of 106 


Vision  Is  a  Man's  Measure. 


32 


Visits.  Bedside 203 

Frequency  of "^ 

Voice,  Magnetic " 

Will,  Action  of ^0 

Worry,  Don't 1^0 

Zone,  Motor,  of  Brain    74 


OF  THE 

IJNIVERSITY 


OF 


Iltorn]^ 


RETURN    BIOSCIENCE  &  NATURAL  RESOURCES  LIBRARY 

TO  — #►     2101  VALLEY  LIFE  SCIENCES  BLDG.     642-2531 


LOAN  PERIOD  1 


2ME 


komu 


n  » 


r^ 


ALL  BOOKS  MAY  BE  RECALLED  AFTER  7  DAYS 


DUE  AS  STAMPED  BELOW 


TJUE 


UbC  I  U  tJ 


13/ 


SUBJECT  TO  » 
WMEDIAT! 


RzCA[ 


REC'DBIOf; 


ArRQl-9ft-l 


m. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CAUFORNIA,  BERKELEY 

FORM  NO.  DDO.  50m,  1 1  /94  BERKELEY,  CA  94720 


U.C.  BERKELEY  LIBRARIES 


CD232aflDlM 


LA- 


;,ir 
,1. 1 


I 


;isr'. 


11 


itiii     lllllliill!! 


!  Hi  III 


IJII 


!  I ,, 

I  !  I  H    I 


lllill!'"!  ''  '  ii'S'l!!'l'li'hi''-''!iiihi''  '    T 

i!';M''|!;;|'i:i:;!!ii>ii'i 


iSr  ■;':l!i:::'ii-'!':^^ 


f'lir.iili.iiiHIii!! 


.liwpii! 


iiaii 


;ii  hi''"'! 
jiii  ilr;  iitiil 


lii'ii>r  ;'ii'ii!r. 


ii'i.  ^',|i 


ilil' 


.'  ;'!  r  il'i  1  I'in 


